Chris Dave
Drums

Chris Dave

(1973–)

Houston, TX, United States

Houston-born drummer who rose to fame with D'Angelo's Voodoo band. Won Grammys across three genres: Maxwell's BLACKsummers'night (R&B), Adele's 21 (pop), and Robert Glasper's Black Radio (jazz). Played drums on 9 of 12 tracks on Utada Hikaru's Hatsukoi. Leads The Drumhedz, fusing gospel, hip-hop, and electronica into a singular style.

Robert Glasper Experiment album featuring Chris Dave

Black Radio
Black Radio
Robert Glasper Experiment · 2012

Between 2009 and 2012, Chris DaveChris DaveChris Daveクリス・デイヴ played drums on three Grammy-winning albums in three different genres: Maxwell's BLACKsummers'night (R&B), Adele's 21 (pop), and Robert GlasperRobert GlasperRobert Glasperロバート・グラスパー Experiment's Black RadioBlack RadioBlack RadioRobert Glasper Experiment · 2012 (jazz). When producers across genres needed a drummer, they kept calling the same jazz musician.

— Chris Dave: The Most Important Drummer You've Never Heard Of

Chris Dave's albums

Chris DaveChris DaveChris Daveクリス・デイヴ played drums on 9 of 12 tracks on Utada HikaruUtada HikaruUtada Hikaru宇多田ヒカル's album Hatsukoi (2018), recorded at RAK and AIR Studios in London. Utada said "Chikai" — the Kingdom Hearts III theme — "wouldn't have worked without him." The jazz drummer who backed D'AngeloD'AngeloD'Angeloディアンジェロ and Adele anchored one of J-pop's most celebrated comeback albums.

— 宇多田ヒカル『初恋』インタビュー