Ulysses Owens Jr.

Ulysses Owens Jr. has firmly established his place in drums, from his work as a jazz drummer, educator, and author of his upcoming Hal Leonard publication on brushes. Lauded in publications like Jazz Times, All About Jazz, and The New York Times, Ulysses reputation is well deserved and firmly secured. Keeping a busy schedule of touring, workshops, recording, producing and teaching, the Grammy award winning Owens, well known for his work with the Christian McBride Trio, remains gracious and humble, always looking to help his fellow artists, giving back the lessons he's learned. Case in point – Owens is artistic director for Don't Miss a Beat, Inc., a youth-empowerment non profit founded by his family in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. We caught up with Ulysses on the same day he was flying to a gig in the UK. He happily shared with us his thoughts on drum education, his new Hal Leonard book on brushes, his upcoming book on the music business, and thoughts on the importance of becoming a good listener and taking the time to get back to the basics.