Leonard "Lenny" White III (born December 19, 1949) is an American jazz fusion drummer who was a member of the band Return to Forever led by Chick Corea in the 1970s. White has been called "one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion".[1][2][3]
Lenny White
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White at the Oslo Jazz Festival 2016
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Leonard White III |
| Born | (1949-12-19) December 19, 1949 (age 74) New York City, U.S. |
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| Occupation(s) |
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| Instrument(s) | Drums, percussion |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Website | lennywhite |
White has won three Grammys and one Latin Grammy.[4][5] His song Algorithm Takedown won Best Song at the Cannes World Film Festival in 2023.[6]
Born in Queens, New York City, White became interested in music at a young age. While he was living at home, his father would take him to jazz gigs. A self-taught drummer, he started playing with groups on the New York jazz scene. Early on, he played clubs such as the Aphrodisiac, Slugs, and The Gold Lounge.
It was at The Gold Lounge where he had his first gig with saxophonist Jackie McLean.[7] During the late 1960s he began performing with Mclean around Queens. Through this, White was recommended to play on Miles Davis' landmark 1969 LP Bitches Brew and feature on Freddie Hubbard's 1970 LP Red Clay. During 1972, White joined Return to Forever.[8][9][10]
In 1975 White released his debut solo album entitled ‘’Venusian Summer,’’which featured guitarists Al DiMeola and fusion guitar pioneer, Larry Coryell. Big City was released in 1977. During 1978 he released his Space opera inspired The Adventures of Astral Pirates and his third solo album Streamline. He eventually formed the jazz/soul group Twennynine who went on to issue three studio albums, 1979's Best of Friends, Twennynine with Lenny White in 1980, and 1981's Just Like Dreamin'.[1][2]
White then made a guest appearance on Chick Corea's 1982 album Touchstone and produced Chaka Khan's 1982 LP Echoes of an Era. He later released his 1983 album Attitude and co-produced Pieces of a Dream's 1986 LP Joyride.[1][2] White now teaches at NYU Steinhardt where he has an ensemble as well as a lecture class on Bitches Brew called “The Miles Davis Aesthetic.”[7][11]
White has been a longtime resident of Teaneck, New Jersey.[3] He endorses Vic Firth drum sticks and only plays his own signature epoch cymbals sponsored by Istanbul Agop.[12]
Grammy Awards
White has been nominated for five Grammy Awards, of which he has won three.[13]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
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| 1975 | No Mystery | Best Jazz Performance by a group | Won |
| 2010 | The Stanley Clarke Band | Best Contemporary Jazz Album | Won |
| 2011 | Forever | Best Jazz Instrumental Album | Won |
Cannes World Film Festival 2023
Best Song Winner with Algorithm Takedown [6]
With Chick Corea, Bill Connors and Stanley Clarke
With Chick Corea, Al Di Meola and Stanley Clarke
As Corea, Clarke & White
With Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Jean-Luc Ponty, Frank Gambale
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With Geri Allen
With Azteca With Cyrus Chestnut
With Stanley Clarke
With Larry Coryell & Victor Bailey
With Letizia Gambi
With Chaka Khan, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Chick Corea & Stanley Clarke
With Al Di Meola
With Wallace Roney
With Buster Williams
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With others
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White, a two-time Grammy winner, is one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion. His first recording gig was with Miles Davis on the groundbreaking "Bitches Brew" album that was released in 1970.