The Tuba Man of Jazz Music

When you think of jazz boppers, there's a set of instruments that come to mind: Trumpet, piano, sax, bass, drums, sometimes guitar, clarinet— the usual. What you may not be looking for is a Tuba. That's right.. One of those big ass honkin over-the-shoulder brass mammoths your ugly girlfriend played in high school. And as it turns out— a tuba actually does some good in hard bop.

Meet Draper... Ray Draper. Draper is the only hard bop tuba player. No, I don't mean Paul Chambers, who only dabbled with the instrument. Draper only played the tuba. This may have been a daunting addition for most composers to incorporate, which made it all the easier for Draper to form his own ensemble. But Draper was not the black sheep in the hard bop world— he shared the stage with greats like Jackie McLean, Donald Byrd, Max Roach, and even recorded an entire album with the legendary John Coltrane.

Oh, and guess what. You've heard of Jazz-Rock fusion? Draper invented it. His ensemble, Red Beans and Rice formed nearly 3 years before Miles Davis released Bitches Brew— often mistaken for the first Jazz-Rock fusion ensemble. So, not only was Draper a one-of-a-kind musician with his Tuba, but he also invented an entire subgenre of jazz. For this, what has he gained? Notoriety? Financial Stability?

Nothing, actually. Draper has largely been forgotten since his debut. He died after being shot by a 13 year old mugger. This was after a longtime struggle with heroin, which he had just kicked. Its a shame how the world can toss a talent like Draper around. However, it is not too late to appreciate what he has brought to jazz music. Go out and find yourself a copy of New Jazz 8228 and consider yourself informed.