is one of fusion's most acclaimed drummers, making his name during a six-year-stint with
.
was born in St. Louis and grew up listening to soul and jazz; he received his first drum set at age eight and developed his playing by listening to drummers like
, as well as R&B grooves. He majored in jazz at the University of Bridgeport, but left after two years to become involved in the New York jazz scene, also touring Europe with various bands.
joined a fusion group called Nitesprite, where he attracted the attention of drummer
From
French Toast,
Weckl branched out into session work, playing on numerous early-'80s sessions with the likes of
Bill Connors (
Return to Forever), the
Brecker Brothers,
Tânia Maria,
Paquito D'Rivera,
Eliane Elias, and
George Benson, as well as pop and soul albums for
Diana Ross,
Madonna, and
Robert Plant. In 1986,
Chick Corea saw
Weckl performing in New York with guitarist
Connors and invited the drummer to join his new
Elektric Band.
Weckl spent a total of seven years with
Corea, performing on numerous albums and also appearing with
Corea's Akoustic Band; his skills received considerable esteem, and he augmented his work with
Corea by continuing his session work and appearing often with the
GRP All-Star Big Band.
Weckl also released a series of instructional videos, and in 1990 he led his first solo date, with
Master Plan for GRP.
Heads Up followed in 1992, as well as
Hard-Wired in 1994.
Upon leaving
Corea,
Weckl's primary focus was recording and touring with guitarist
Mike Stern; he also continued his work as a sideman. In 1998,
Weckl led the R&B-oriented date
Rhythm of the Soul, a return to his other boyhood musical love, and the like-minded
Synergy followed in 1999. The
Dave Weckl Band had really gelled by the time of
Transition's 2000 release, but
Weckl didn't leave teaching behind, either, and released another instructional recording,
The Zone, in 2001. After working extensively with a quartet for the last few years, he debuted their efforts with 2002's improv-heavy
Perpetual Motion. Multiplicity followed three years later.
–
Steve Huey, Rovi