After spending the first part of his career in the New York-based jazz world, Corey Fonville has evolved into playing and producing more groove-based music. With his band Butcher Brown and most recently with Charlie Hunter and Kurt Elling on new album SuperBlue, Corey is exploring playing and tones that are firmly in the supporting role rather than the more explosive/interactive jazz role. Corey is the product of a couple of non-traditional educational environments; The New School in New York and the Dave Brubeck Institute in Stockton, CA, and his jazz resume includes Christian Scott, Nicholas Payton, Jacky Terrasson and many more. But he has found himself moving past that world in search of drumming and music that’s more true to his musical identity and values.
In this episode, Corey talks about:
- How the SuperBlue project came about, and how Charlie and Kurt turned to him to help shape it
- Being a bridge between Kurt’s energy and Charlie’s energy
- Being influenced by Kareem Riggins, Kendrick Scott, Obed Calvaire, and other New York jazz drummers
- How sounding like other drummers is a step in the journey to sounding like you
- Ways he’s thinking about combining his new musical identity with the jazz world he used to inhabit, and approaching jazz with a production mindset
- How turning something down or moving away from a certain music requires self-acceptance
