Andrew Cyrille

The Profile

Andrew Cyrille is an American jazz drummer and a pivotal figure in avant‑garde and free jazz. He is widely known for his long collaboration with pianist Cecil Taylor and for leading and co-leading forward‑looking ensembles across decades.

Born November 10, 1939, in Brooklyn, New York. A leading voice in avant‑garde and free jazz drumming, he worked extensively with Cecil Taylor from the mid‑1960s to the mid‑1970s and continues to record and perform internationally.

One review covers Andrew Cyrille’s role in an eight-piece ensemble paying tribute to Don Cherry in 2008 at S. Anna Arresi. The set is described as a dense, free-flowing continuum of improvisation. Cyrille shares drum duties with Hamid Drake, in a high-energy opening night. Overall tone: positive.