57 Best Jazz Drummers

Chris Dave

Chris Dave has arguably been one of the most influential drummers in jazz and hip-hop throughout the 2000s.

No one else plays drums like Chris Dave, but you’ll find hundreds of drummers drawing influence from him.

It’s not uncommon to see him use four snare drums in a setup, and he often plays grooves that are rhythmically warped to add a push and pull effect.

Justin Faulkner

Adding to the list of very talented modern drummers is Justin Faulkner. He started playing professional jazz gigs in the early years of being a teenager, and he’s grown into being one of the leading drummers in the US jazz scene.

He’s played with some big names like Christian McBride, Sean Jones, Terrence Howard, and Bootsie Barnes.

He’s also been a regular drummer in the Branford Marsalis Quartet.

Yussef Dayes

Yussef Dayes is the final drummer that falls into my top three list of favorite drummers. He’s another drummer on this list known to be a popular modern jazz player.

Most of his playing centers around quick grooves and fills that are almost like drum ‘n’ bass parts.

He runs a lot of his own projects, but his work with Tom Misch is what has gained him a lot of fame over the last few years.

Keith Carlock

Keith Carlock is arguably one of the most recognizable names on this list, as his drumming is a lot broader than just jazz.

He’s a huge name in the music industry, and he’s played drums with artists like John Mayer, Toto, Steely Dan, and Sting.

However, you could easily consider him a jazz drummer due to his roots. While he doesn’t regularly play with pure jazz groups, he can hold out with the best of them with no problem.

Jeff Ballard

Jeff Ballard is another monumental figure in the American jazz music scene. He’s played with Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, and Ray Charles, who are undeniably some of the most accomplished jazz musicians ever.

I feel as though Jeff Ballard doesn’t get the recognition he should, but he’s right up there with big drumming names like Steve Gadd and Dave Weckl.

Dafnis Prieto

Dafnis Prieto is the best Latin jazz drummer that I know of. If you want to see some incredible polyrhythmic control, he’s the guy to watch.

He’s one of my favorite drummers to follow on Instagram, as he always posts clips of him playing some really intense ideas on the drums.

Zack Graybeal

Zack Graybeal is perhaps the least experienced drummer on this entire list. However, I feel that his name is well worth mentioning, as he’s done an amazing job of exposing younger people to jazz through his YouTube channel.

Most people know him as ZackGrooves, and he has an incredible amount of skill behind the drum set.

He has his own band called Everything Yes, and they’ve recently started touring the world.

Ofri Nehemya

Ofri Nehemya is another young jazz drummer that many people may not know about. However, you’ll understand why I’ve mentioned his name when you see him play.

He has such an intentional way of playing the drums, making him a world-class jazz musician.

One of the most impressive things I’ve seen about him is his ability to mimic other drummers’ styles of playing. He has also taken those inspirations to create his own effective style.

John Riley

John Riley is undoubtedly the most successful jazz drumming educator to have ever lived. He’s a traditional jazz drummer, but he’s mostly known for writing educational books that have sold tens of thousands of copies.

If you want to get into playing jazz, most people will recommend that you start with a John Riley book. He’s such a great player, but it’s his teaching ability that firmly places him on this list.

Stanton Moore

Many people would consider Stanton Moore more of a funk drummer than anything, but I’ve seen him play some amazing things within jazz band setups.

He’s another drummer with an impeccable sense of groove, as everything he plays just sits and sounds amazing.

He’s also a great teacher that you should definitely check out if you’re looking to improve your jazz and funk drumming abilities.

Mike Mitchell

Mike Mitchell is another relatively young drummer, but he was already playing with huge jazz names when he was only a teenager.

I’d easily say that he’s a modern day version of drummers like Joe Jones and Art Blakey. Not that his playing is similar – he just plays some mind blowing things that a lot of people have never seen before.

With that being said, a lot of casual listeners don’t enjoy hearing such technically intense drum parts, but that’s exactly how people perceived what the famous jazz guys were playing in the early 20^th century.

Mason Guidry

Mason Guidry is another drummer who I’d put in the same category as Mike Mitchell. He has some of the most intense speed and accuracy I’ve seen from a drummer, and he plays really complex concepts.

He’s also very young compared to most of the other drummers on this list, but he’s steadily becoming one of the best drummers playing at the moment.