Don Blackman

Pianist/singer/writer Don Blackman, born 1953 in Queens, NY, grew up surrounded by jazz
influences; a cousin was McCoy Tyner's friend and saxophonist Charles McPherson -- a Charlie
Parker disciple -- was Blackman's neighbor. Blackman played with McPherson's group in 1968
alongside Sam Jones and Louis Hayes when he was 15 years old.
He switched to electric piano and toured with Parliarment/Funkadellic in the early '70s. He later
became an original member of Lenny White's Twennynine ("Peanut Butter"), a key piece in Jamaica
Queens' '70s' jazz-funk explosion. A deal with GRP/Arista birthed the solo LP Don Blackman (1982),
a good set saddled by poor promotion.
His extensive resumé includes Kurtis Blow sessions and singing "Haboglabotrin" on Bernard
Wright's 'Nard album. A fixture in New York studios, he has worked on sessions for a long list of
artists including Nagee, David Sanborn, and Roy Ayers. And his composition "Live to Kick It"
graced Tu-Pac's R U Still Down (Remember Me) release.
Twenty years after his debut album Blackman's second album was released on UK label Expansion.