Butch Ballard

Jazz drummer who performed with Basie, Ellington and ArmstrongThe drummer Butch Ballard, who has died aged 92, was one of a handful of African-American jazz musicians who performed with both the Count Basie and Duke Ellington orchestras. Having also recorded with Louis Armstrong's big band and worked with a roster of top jazz stars, Ballard deserves to be recognised as one of the better percussionists of the swing era. One commentator described Ballard's precision as "making his drum sound as if...

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