Billy Hart
- Born:
- , Washington, D.C., USA
- Instrument:
- Drums
- Genres:
- Jazz, Funk / Soul, Electronic, Non-Music, Latin, Blues, Stage & Screen, Pop, Folk, World, & Country, Classical
- Styles:
- Contemporary Jazz, Post Bop, Bop, Fusion, Hard Bop, Modal, Free Jazz, Avant-garde Jazz, Jazz-Funk, Cool Jazz
Billy Hart is one of modern jazz’s most foundational and prolific drummers, featured on over 600 releases. His output is marked by extraordinary versatility, with his core styles being Contemporary Jazz, Post Bop, and Free Jazz. His career shows a unique stylistic transition: from anchoring Soul-Jazz and Hard Bop during his foundational work with the Jimmy Smith Trio (1960s) to pioneering leader projects in Free Jazz in the 1970s, exemplified by the album “Enchance”. This immense range allowed him to become a key rhythm figure for an all-star roster, including Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner. His work is prominent across cornerstone labels such as ECM, SteepleChase, and Enja, demonstrating his ability to maintain influence across every generation and subgenre of jazz giants.
Essential Billy Hart Albums
Enchance
Billy Hart
1977
Free Jazz
Oshumare
Billy Hart
1985
Free Jazz
Triangle
Joe Bonner, Clint Houston, Billy Hart
1975
Contemporary Jazz
All Strings Attached
Tal Farlow, John Abercrombie, Larry Carlton, Larry Coryell, John Scofield, John Patitucci, Billy Hart
1989
Find The Way
Aaron Parks, Ben Street, Billy Hart
2017
Contemporary Jazz
Tribal Ghost
John Tchicai, Charlie Kohlhase, Garrison Fewell, Cecil McBee, Billy Hart
2013
Contemporary Jazz
Resolution
Hamiet Bluiett, Don Pullen, Fred Hopkins, Billy Hart, Famoudou Don Moye
1978
Free Jazz
La Place Demon
Tied & Tickled Trio, Billy Hart
2011
Future Jazz
Such Great Friends
Stanley Cowell, Billy Harper, Reggie Workman, Billy Hart
1991
Post Bop
The Trio
Billy Hart, Walter Bishop, Jr., George Mraz
1982
Similar Artists
Top Labels
| Label | Releases |
|---|---|
| SteepleChase | 96 |
| Blue Note | 26 |
| Columbia | 24 |
| ECM Records | 22 |
| Muse Records | 21 |
| Enja Records | 17 |
| Verve Records | 11 |
| Soul Note | 11 |
| Venus Records | 11 |
| HighNote Records, Inc. | 11 |
Billy Hart Collaborations
As Leader
| Musician | Role | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Ron McClure | Bass | 6 |
| Ben Street | Bass | 6 |
| Cecil McBee | Bass | 4 |
| Drew Gress | Bass | 4 |
| Buster Williams | Bass | 3 |
| John Abercrombie | Guitar | 3 |
| Richard Beirach | Piano | 3 |
| Ethan Iverson | Piano | 3 |
| Mark Turner | Tenor Saxophone | 3 |
| Santi Debriano | Bass | 3 |
As Sideman
| Musician | Role | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Buster Williams | Bass | 31 |
| Cecil McBee | Bass | 30 |
| George Mraz | Bass | 28 |
| Kenny Barron | Piano | 22 |
| Ron McClure | Bass | 20 |
| Richard Beirach | Piano | 17 |
| Ray Drummond | Bass | 16 |
| George Cables | Piano | 15 |
| Rufus Reid | Bass | 15 |
| Eddie Henderson | Trumpet | 14 |
Key Personnel
| Person | Role | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Nils Winther | Producer | 26 |
| Mark Gardner | Liner Notes | 19 |
| Various | Leader | 18 |
| Nils Winther | Producer, Photography By | 15 |
| David Baker | Engineer | 14 |
| Rudy Van Gelder | Engineer | 13 |
| Stan Getz | Leader | 13 |
| Josiah Gluck | Recorded By | 10 |
| Elvin Campbell | Engineer | 10 |
| George Horn | Mastered By | 9 |
Discography
Total: 671 releases
| Artist | Album | Label | Leader/Sideman | Style | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Kikoski Trio | Weekend At Smalls | Cellar Music | Sideman | Bop | 2025 |
| Bill O'Connell | Touch | Jojo Records | Sideman | 2025 | |
| Yotam Silberstein | Standards Vol. 2 | JoJo Records | Sideman | Post Bop | 2025 |
| Noah Haidu | Standards III | Infinite Distances | Sideman | Bop | 2025 |
| Billy Hart | Multidirectional | Smoke Sessions Records | Leader | Contemporary Jazz | 2025 |
| Billy Hart Quartet | Just | ECM Records | Sideman | Contemporary Jazz | 2025 |
| Aaron Parks | By All Means | Blue Note | Sideman | Contemporary Jazz | 2025 |
| John O'Gallagher | Ancestral | Whirlwind Recordings | Sideman | Free Jazz | 2025 |
| Stan Getz | Unissued Session Copenhagen 1977 | SteepleChase | Sideman | Post Bop | 2024 |
| Johannes Enders | The Creator Has A Masterplan B - A Tribute To Pharoah Sanders | Ammerton | Sideman | Cool Jazz | 2024 |
| Noah Haidu | Standards II | Sunnyside | Sideman | Bop | 2024 |
| Yotam Silberstein | Standards | JoJo Records | Sideman | Post Bop | 2024 |
| Jacky Terrasson | Moving On | Naïve | Sideman | 2024 | |
| Robin Verheyen, Drew Gress, Billy Hart | Liftoff | InnerVoiceJazz | Leader | 2024 | |
| David Janeway | Forward Motion | SteepleChase | Sideman | Contemporary Jazz | 2024 |
| Randy Ingram, Drew Gress, Billy Hart | Aries Dance | Sounderscore Records | Leader | Contemporary Jazz | 2024 |
| Joe Melnicove, George Garzone, Ben Street, Billy Hart | You Is You | 577 Records | Leader | Contemporary Jazz | 2023 |
| Jeremy Pelt | The Art of Intimacy, Vol. 2: His Muse | HighNote Records, Inc. | Sideman | 2023 | |
| Bill O'Connell | Live In Montauk | Savant Records, Inc. | Sideman | 2023 | |
| Kevin Hays, Ben Street, Billy Hart | Bridges | Smoke Sessions Records | Leader | Post Bop | 2023 |
Styles & Genres Distribution
Styles
| Style | Releases | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Contemporary Jazz | 169 | 19.9% |
| Post Bop | 159 | 18.7% |
| Bop | 62 | 7.3% |
| Fusion | 47 | 5.5% |
| Hard Bop | 41 | 4.8% |
| Modal | 36 | 4.2% |
| Free Jazz | 35 | 4.1% |
| Avant-garde Jazz | 26 | 3.1% |
| Jazz-Funk | 26 | 3.1% |
| Cool Jazz | 19 | 2.2% |
Genres
| Genre | Releases | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Jazz | 605 | 71.3% |
| Funk / Soul | 17 | 2% |
| Electronic | 5 | 0.6% |
| Non-Music | 5 | 0.6% |
| Latin | 4 | 0.5% |
| Blues | 4 | 0.5% |
| Stage & Screen | 3 | 0.4% |
| Pop | 3 | 0.4% |
| Folk, World, & Country | 3 | 0.4% |
| Classical | 2 | 0.2% |