Quick Facts
TaurusBiography
Gerald Cleaver (born May 4, 1963) is a jazz drummer from Detroit, Michigan.
Early life
Cleaver's father is drummer John Cleaver Jr., originally from Springfield, Ohio, and his mother was from Greenwood, Mississippi. Gerald had six older siblings.
Career
Cleaver joined the jazz faculty at the University of Michigan in 1995. He has performed or recorded with Joe Morris, Mat Maneri, Roscoe Mitchell, Miroslav Vitouš, Michael Formanek, Tomasz Stańko, Franck Amsallem and others.
Under the name Veil of Names, Cleaver released an album called Adjust on the Fresh Sounds New Talent label in 2001. It featured Maneri, Ben Monder, Andrew Bishop, Craig Taborn and Reid Anderson and was a Best Debut Recording Nominee by the Jazz Journalists Association.
Cleaver currently leads the groups Uncle June, Black Host, Violet Hour and NiMbNl as well as working as a sideman with many different artists.
Personal life
Discography
An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.
As leader/co-leader
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Adjust | Fresh Sound | Sextet, with Andrew Bishop (clarinet, soprano sax, tenor sax), Mat Maneri (violin), Craig Taborn (piano), Ben Monder (guitar), Reid Anderson (electric bass, acoustic bass) |
| 2008 | Farmers by Nature | AUM Fidelity | As the band "Farmers by Nature". Trio, with Craig Taborn (piano), William Parker (bass) |
| 2009 | Be It as I See It | Fresh Sound | Also credited to "Uncle June" |
| 2010 | Out of This World's Distortions | AUM Fidelity | As the band "Farmers by Nature". Trio, with Craig Taborn (piano), William Parker (bass) |
| 2011 | Love and Ghosts | AUM Fidelity | As the band "Farmers by Nature". Trio, with Craig Taborn (piano), William Parker (bass); in concert |
| 2013* | Life in the Sugar Candle Mines | Northern Spy | As the band "Black Host". Quintet, with Darius Jones (alto sax), Brandon Seabrook (guitar), Cooper-Moore (piano), Pascal Niggenkemper (bass) |
As sideman
With Lotte Anker
- Triptych (Leo, 2005)
- Live at the Loft (ILK, 2009)
- Floating Islands (ILK, 2009)
With Samuel Blaser
- 7th Heaven (Between the Lines, 2008)
- Boundless (Hatology, 2011) with Marc Ducret
- As the Sea (Hatology, 2012) with Marc Ducret
With Rob Brown
- Crown Trunk Root Funk (AUM Fidelity, 2008)
- Unexplained Phenomena (Marge, 2011)
With Liberty Ellman
- Ophiuchus Butterfly (Pi Recordings, 2006)
With Michael Formanek
- The Rub and Spare Change (ECM, 2010) with Tim Berne & Craig Taborn
- Small Places (ECM, 2012) with Tim Berne & Craig Taborn
With Roscoe Mitchell
- The Day and the Night (Dizim, 1997)
- Nine to Get Ready (ECM, 1999)
- Song for My Sister (Pi, 2002)
With Jemeel Moondoc
- Live at the Vision Festival (Ayler, 2003)
With Joe Morris
- Underthru (OmniTone, 1999)
- At the Old Office (Knitting Factory, 2000)
- Altitude (AUM Fidelity, 2012)
- Balance (Clean Feed, 2014)
With William Parker
- Double Sunrise Over Neptune (AUM Fidelity, 2007)
- Uncle Joe's Spirit House (Centering, 2010)
With Mario Pavone
- Orange (Playscape, 2003)
- Ancestors (Playscape, 2008)
With Samo Salamon
- Government Cheese (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2007)
- Stretching Out (Samo Records, 2013)
With Matthew Shipp
- Pastoral Composure (Thirsty Ear, 2000)
- New Orbit (Thirsty Ear, 2001)
- Equilibrium (Thirsty Ear, 2003)
- Our Lady of the Flowers (RogueArt, 2015)
With Wadada Leo Smith
- Lake Biwa (Tzadik, 2004)
With Craig Taborn
- Light Made Lighter (Thirsty Ear, 2001)
- Chants (ECM, 2013), with Thomas Morgan
With Miroslav Vitous
- Universal Syncopations II (ECM, 2007)
- Remembering Weather Report (ECM, 2009)
With Tomasz Stanko
- Wislawa (ECM, 2013)
- December Avenue (ECM, 2017)
With Ivo Perelman
- The Art of The Improv Trio Volume 3 (Leo, 2016) with Matthew Shipp
