David Leach

A percussionist who is visible in the household, meaning you can flip on the television and catch him accompanying stars on video or in concert, David Leach has what many of his peers would call an enviable career.

Born February 4, 1962 in New Jersey,David Leach is a graduate from Rutgers with a BA in music. David took the "music" in his degree seriously, not only in the sense of getting his theory/harmony down, but in his subsequent minimalist approach to gigging or studio tracking. Leach uses exactly what is necessary to lift a track from the mundane; you won't find him arbitrarily show-dancing from congas to bongos to shakers to toys-all Toca, incidentally. His first influences were Miles Davis style jazz, funk and R & B. Leach appropriated these in his mid-teens when he took up drums. Later, however, he sought a musical role that would complement, not conflict, with drums. With percussion he was able to explore and invoke the passionate, historic rhythms of Africa, Cuba and South America traditions-employing them in modern music in novel ways. In a sense, he was a perfect choice for the edgy-yet-retro Ben Harper, who in a single moment calls up the past and pits it against the present. Leach's wide background and broad listening preferences perhaps are the reasons he can go from purist/authentic to frisky/exploratory with the same arsenal of Toca percussion instruments.

You've seen him with Ben Harper and the Matthew Fisher Band, with Chris Pierce and Ritmoycanto; his skill is diversity but he seems to have found a niche in the contemporary scene and is the go-to percussionist for many a headlining act such as The David Matthews Band. The reason is possibly Leach's respect for simplicity-the knowledge that too much percussive clutter can upside a fragile groove and destroy the confidence of singers, songwriters, drummers and anyone within earshot.

David Leach's discography reflects his contemporary bent and also his respect for groove. Thus he's recorded several albums with Ben Harper, also with Chris Pierce, Lucy Lawless, Ali Handal, David Redman, Wah!, Rhian Benson, and the UCLA Gospel Choir. There are many more titles in Latin, world and contemporary genres and we get the feeling that this is but the tip of the iceberg.

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