ralph humphrey
ralph humphrey
i have a friend who studied at git (guitar institute of technology, i think),
three years ago. he told me that ralph was teaching drumming at pit (percussion
institute of technology), and referred to him as a "short, very kind guy
with a big beard. ralph's specialty obviously was polyrythmics (which it should
be if you've played with fz). he also had a band with other guys at the school,
called outside men, who played "interesting, experimental music".
my friend also told me that ralph played with michael ruff, an american fm-rock
guitarist.
drums on manhatten transfer's "the christmas album" (1992).
i saw ralph humphrey 2 years ago at the namm show (national association of music merchants) demoing drums for some drum manufacturer. i knew of his work on apostrophe so when his demo was finished i asked him about it. he rolled his eyes as if he had forgotten the recording and then it came to him and he smiled as he nodded and confirmed that it was he who beat the skins on 'st. alphonzo's pancake breakfast'.
if you want to find out where ralph got the class that he brought to zappa's stuff, check him out with the don ellis big band from the early '70's. a very young humphrey shows where he got the polyrythmic chops to work with frank. ellis never did anything in common time, and humphrey's work in this monster big band was amazing.
"don ellis at fillmore" (columbia: g30243);
"tears of joy" (columbia: g30927),
and "autumn" (columbia: cs9721 - produced by al kooper, by the way).
from:
konrad (konradfs@netcom.com)
subject: star
trek, sinatra, and zappa
i heard an album last night called "ol' yellow eyes is back" or something like that. it was brent spiner (data) singing sinatra era standards, and guess who was the drummer for the sessions: ralph humphrey.
from:
xnarfeoj (jf503spamsux@cyberhighway.net)
i know that ralph humphrey is a department head at lama.
from: patrick neve (splat@darkwing.uoregon.edu)
last seen playing with banned from utopia! (8/29/99)
discography
| 1969 ellis, don- new don ellis band goes underground (percussion, drums, vibraphone) | ||
| 1970 ellis, don- don ellis at fillmore | ||
| 1971 ellis, don- tears of joy | ||
| 1973 ellis, don- soaring | ||
|
17 |
the
mothers: over-nite sensation
(1973, lp, usa, discreet) |
 |
|
18 |
frank
zappa: apostrophe (') (1974, lp, usa, discreet) |
 |
|
19 |
zappa / mothers: roxy & elsewhere (1974, 2lp, usa, discreet) |
|
| 1976 seals & crofts- sudan village | ||
| 1977 caldera- sky islands | ||
| 1978 alexander, karen- voyager | ||
| 1978 england dan & john ford- dr. heckle & mr. jive | ||
| 1978 mangione, gap- suite lady |
||
| 1978 seals & crofts- takin' it easy | ||
| 1978 carter, lynda- portrait | ||
| 1978 joseph, marcus- things i meant to say (percussion, drums) | ||
| 1978 pages- pages | ||
| 1979 wright, gary- heading home (percussion) | ||
| 1979 pizzi, ray- love letter (percussion, drums) | ||
| 1979 parrish, paul- song for a young girl [picture disc) | ||
| 1979 subramaniam, l.- fantasy without limits | ||
| 1979 starr, richard- holiday in hollywood | ||
| 1979 manhattan transfer- extensions | ||
| 1980 crawford, randy- everything must change | ||
| 1980 in transit- in transit (percussion, drums) | ||
| 1980 jarreau, al- this time (percussion, drums) | ||
| 1980 allen, peter- bi-coastal |
||
| 1981 redbone, leon- from branch to branch | ||
| 1982 feliciano, jose- escenas de amor | ||
| 1983 subramaniam, l.- spanish wave | ||
| 1984 free flight- beyond the clouds (percussion, drums) | ||
| 1985 manhattan transfer- vocalese | ||
| 1985 shorter, wayne- atlantis | ||
| 1986 frank zappa- apostrophe/over-nite sensation | ||
| 1986 free flight- illumination (percussion, drums) | ||
| 1986 wired- wired (keyboards) | ||
| 1987 hoenig, michael- xcept one (synthesizer, percussion) | ||
| 1988 frank zappa- you can't do that on stage anymore (sampler) | ||
| 51 | frank zappa: you can't do that on
stage anymore vol.1 (1988, 2cd, usa, ryko) |
|
| 1989 taylor, martin- sarabanda | ||
| 54 | frank zappa: you can't do that on
stage anymore vol.3 (1989, 2cd, usa, ryko) |
 |
| 1991 subramaniam, l.- blossom |
||
|
57 |
frank zappa: you can't do that on
stage anymore vol.4 (1991, 2cd, usa, ryko) |
 |
| 1991 marrying man- marrying man | ||
| zappa / mothers: unmitigated audacity (1991, cd, usa, rhino foo-eee records r2 70540) |
 |
|
| frank zappa: piquantique (1991, cd, usa, rhino foo-eee records r2 70544) |
 |
|
| tom fowler:
heartscapes (1992, cd, usa, fossil records) - feat. lots of zappa alumni |
|
|
| 59 | frank zappa: you can't do that on
stage anymore vol.6 (1992, 2cd, usa, ryko) |
 |
| 1992 frank zappa- you can't do that on stage anymore, vol. 6 | ||
| 1992 dinosaurs [3]- big songs | ||
| 1992 league of their own- league of their own | ||
| 1992 manhattan transfer- anthology: down in birdland | ||
| 1992 garson, mike- oxnard sessions, vol. 2 | ||
| 1993 jazz at the movies band- man & a woman, sax at the movies | ||
| 1993 kelley, ray- oasis (arranger, drums) | ||
| 1993 schuur, diane- love songs | ||
| 1993 sharon lois & bram- candles, snow & mistletoe | ||
| 1995 swing kids- swing kids | ||
| 1995 frank zappa- strictly commercial | ||
|
64 |
frank zappa: the lost episodes
(1996, cd, usa, ryko) |
 |
|
65 |
frank zappa: läther
(1996, 3cd, usa, ryko) |
|
| 1996 mike miller/the outsidemen band- overboard | ||
| 1996 kelley, ray- windy city (percussion, drums) | ||
| 1997 fantastic television: great tv musi | ||
|
67 |
frank zappa: have i offended someone? (1997, cd, usa, ryko) |
|
| 1997 manhattan transfer- swing (drums, washboard) | ||
| 1997 garfield, david- tribute to jeff porcaro (drums) | ||
| 1997 jazz at the movies band- sax on broadway | ||
| 1997 ranier, tom- in the still of the night | ||
| 1998 various artists- rykodisc 15th anniversary sampler | ||
| 1999 barbra streisand- a love like ours | ||
|
|
mike
miller: save the moon (2001, cd, usa, marsis jazz pgi / mj 1097) - feat.bruce fowler // reissued in 2006 on esc records with two bonus tracks |
|
| the outsidemen:
band overboard (????, cd, usa, private release) - feat. mike miller and ralph humphrey |
 |
|
| wright, lorna- circle of love | ||
| mancini, henry- mancini's angels | ||
| c.o.d.- tears | ||
| fill your head with jazz | ||
| carlos, roberto- roberto carlos [#1] | ||
| carlos, roberto- from brazil with love | ||
| denver, john- earth songs | ||
| shorter, wayne- this is jazz, vol. 19 | ||
| jarreau,
al- best of al jarreau |
||
| brent spiner- ol' yellow eyes is back | ||
| ellis, don- autumn | ||
| jeff richman- the blue heart | ||
|
83 |
frank zappa: one shot deal (2008, cd, usa, zappa records) |
|
| various artists:
dc collection: vol.1 - the drummers of frank zappa (2009, dvd, usa, drum channel dc dvd) - feat. terry bozzio, ralph humphrey, chester thompson, chad wackerman & ruth underwood |
|
|
| frank zappa:
penguin in bondage - the little known history of the mothers of
invention (2011, download, usa, zappa records) |
 |
|
|
96 |
frank zappa:
road tapes - finlandia hall, helsinki, finland 23, 24 august 1973 (2013, cd, usa, vaulternative records) |
|
|
102 |
frank
zappa & the mothers: roxy the movie (2015, cd+dvd, eu, eagle vision eagdv050) |
|
| 102 | frank
zappa & the mothers: roxy the movie (2015, dvd, eur, eagle vision) |
 |
| 102 | frank
zappa & the mothers: roxy the movie (2015, blu-ray, eur, eagle vision) |
 |
|
104 |
frank zappa:
the crux of the biscuit |
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