Jimmy Madison

Jimmy Madison is an American jazz drummer with a career spanning over six decades. He recently released his book, “Drummer Boy—My Life Playing for the Great of Jazz and Funk (With a Little Mountaineering on the Side).
Born in Cincinnati, he was considered a child prodigy and started playing the drums professionally at age 12, long before he could legally drink in the venues where he performed.
J Jimmy played for a Who’s Who of modern musical icons including Quincy Jones, Lionel Hampton, James Brown, Chet Baker, Tony Bennett, Ray Baretto, George Benson, David Berger, Ron Carter, Al Cohn, Art Farmer, Joe Farrell, Stan Getz, Bobby Hackett, Richie Havens, Jon Hendricks, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Lee Konitz, Hubert Laws, John Lewis, Shirley MacLaine, Marion McPartland, Gerry Mulligan, Anita O’Day, Maceo Parker, Toots Thielemans, Nina Simone, and ensembles including The Boston Symphony, The Duke Ellington Orchestra, the French National Orchestra, The Royal Philharmonic, The Joffrey Ballet, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He won a GRAMMY in 2019 for his work with Joyce DiDonato. Madison says, “Sideman is a title I will always be proud to wear.”
In addition to being a world-class drummer, Jimmy got into rock-climbing and mountaineering in his 20s. Though climbing is behind him, he had many high altitude adventures in the Himalayas, Alps, Cascades, and Rocky Mountains.