Chris Massey is a Spectra Jazz recording artist following his ambition of making a name for himself as a new breed of young talented player in the world of jazz. Growing up in small town Uniontown,Ohio where he picked up his first pair of drumsticks a the age of 9 he took his first steps into his musical career as a Jazz Performance major at Youngstown State University in 2000.
During this time he was under the tutelage of local legend Cedric Hobbs who had played with Charlie "Bird" Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and many other jazz legends of the day. It was during this time where Chris learned that jazz was not a music genre but a state of consciousness. In 2003 Chris began performing with world renounced artists such as former Jazz Messenger Donald Harrison Jr. Since then he has performed with such renowned artists as Dave Holland, Joe Lovano, members of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Birdland Big Band and members of The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra as well as many other great players.
Among performing Chris is also coming into his own as a composer and arranger. Gaining inspiration from notable drummer-composers such as Brian Blade and Jeff "Tain" Watts; Chris has began composing his first works in early 2001 with his 1st recorded composition piece "Gotham Nights" performed in 2005. Chris also has been teaching lessons of all age varieties from the skill ranges of beginner to advanced college since 1998.
Chris above all else is a modern drummer taught in the old tradition of swing; his ethos is to "put his sound" underneath a player and let the fire start to spread. He is currently residing in the New York City area and performing with/leading his modern jazz group "The Nue Jazz Project". He has performed in many venues across the city such as Smoke, Cleopatra's Needle, Smalls, Fat Cat, 55bar, The Garage, The Iridium and many others. He currently finished recording his debut album entitled "Vibrainium" which will soon be released under the Spectra Jazz Label in December of this year.
During this time he was under the tutelage of local legend Cedric Hobbs who had played with Charlie "Bird" Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and many other jazz legends of the day. It was during this time where Chris learned that jazz was not a music genre but a state of consciousness. In 2003 Chris began performing with world renounced artists such as former Jazz Messenger Donald Harrison Jr. Since then he has performed with such renowned artists as Dave Holland, Joe Lovano, members of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Birdland Big Band and members of The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra as well as many other great players.
Among performing Chris is also coming into his own as a composer and arranger. Gaining inspiration from notable drummer-composers such as Brian Blade and Jeff "Tain" Watts; Chris has began composing his first works in early 2001 with his 1st recorded composition piece "Gotham Nights" performed in 2005. Chris also has been teaching lessons of all age varieties from the skill ranges of beginner to advanced college since 1998.
Chris above all else is a modern drummer taught in the old tradition of swing; his ethos is to "put his sound" underneath a player and let the fire start to spread. He is currently residing in the New York City area and performing with/leading his modern jazz group "The Nue Jazz Project". He has performed in many venues across the city such as Smoke, Cleopatra's Needle, Smalls, Fat Cat, 55bar, The Garage, The Iridium and many others. He currently finished recording his debut album entitled "Vibrainium" which will soon be released under the Spectra Jazz Label in December of this year.
Jazz