Harvey Mason

Harvey Mason in Singapore, 2004

Harvey William Mason (born February 22, 1947, in Atlantic City, New Jersey) is an American musician, jazz drummer and record producer. He has worked with many jazz and fusion artists, including Bob James, Chick Corea, The Brecker Brothers, Lee Ritenour, Herbie Hancock's Headhunters and almost all the Mizell Brothers productions with Donald Byrd, Johnny Hammond, Bobbi Humphrey and Gary Bartz. He is featured on George Benson's 1976 album Breezin'. His duet on drums with percussionist Ralph MacDonald - on Benson's hit "On Broadway" is a great example of his style. Harvey is also the percussionist for the contemporary jazz group Fourplay, which includes keyboardist Bob James, guitarist Chuck Loeb, and bassist Nathan East.

Starting in the 1970s, Mason has released a series of albums, the early ones on Arista Records, which he also produced. In 1979, he enjoyed the hit single "Groovin' You", a disco-stomping tune, from the album of the same name. It was sampled by house music producer Gusto in his 1995 hit single "Disco's Revenge".

Mason is the father of Harvey Mason, Jr.

Equipment

Mason endorses Canopus drums, Sabian cymbals, Remo drumheads, DW pedals, Vic Firth drumsticks and Roc N Soc drum thrones. Mason has his own Vic Firth Harvey Mason signature drumstick and Vic Firth Harvey Mason Chameleon signature drumstick. In the past, he has previously used Gretsch drums, Premier drums, Rogers Drums, Tama drums, Zildjian cymbals, Toca percussion and Gibraltar Hardware.

Discography

As leader

Title	Released	Label
Marching in the Street	1975	Arista Records
Earth Mover	1976	Arista Records
Funk in a Mason Jar	1977	Arista Records
Groovin’ You	1979	Arista Records
M.V.P	1981	Arista Records
Stone Mason	1982	Atlantic Records
Ratamacue	1996	Atlantic Records
With All My Heart	2004	RCA Records
Chameleon	2014	Concord Records

As sideman

With Fourplay:

Title	Released	Label
Fourplay	1991	Warner Bros.
Between the Sheets	1993	Warner Bros.
Elixir	1995	Warner Bros.
The Best of Fourplay	1997	Warner Bros.
4	1998	Warner Bros.
Snowbound	1999	Warner Bros.
Yes, Please!	2000	Warner Bros.
Heartfelt	2002	Bluebird
Journey	2004	Bluebird
X	2006	Bluebird
Energy	2008	Heads Up
Let's Touch the Sky	2010	Heads Up

With Herb Alpert

• Midnight Sun (A & M, 1992)

With Chet Atkins

• Street Dreams (Columbia, 1986)

With Beck

• The Information (Interscope, 2006)

With George Benson

• Breezin' (Warner Bros., 1976)
• Weekend in L.A. (Warner Bros., 1978)

With Donald Byrd

• Street Lady (Blue Note, 1973)
• Stepping into Tomorrow (Blue Note, 1974)
• Places and Spaces (Blue Note, 1975)
• Caricatures (Blue Note, 1976)

With Ron Carter

• Pastels (Milestone, 1976)

With Casiopea

• 4x4 (Alpha, 1982)
• Light and Shadows (Pony Canyon, 1997)

With Chick Corea

• The Mad Hatter (Polydor, 1978)

With Miles Davis & Michel Legrand

• Dingo (Warner Bros., 1991)

With Charles Earland

• Leaving This Planet (Prestige, 1973)

Wit Joe Farrell

• Night Dancing (Warner Bros., 1978)

With Herbie Hancock

• Head Hunters (Columbia, 1973)
• Man-Child (Columbia, 1975)
• Mr. Hands (Columbia, 1978)

With Gene Harris

• In a Special Way (Blue Note, 1976)
• Tone Tantrum (Blue Note, 1977)

With The Headhunters

• Survival of the Fittest (Arista, 1975)

With Eddie Henderson

• Sunburst (Blue Note, 1975)

With Joe Henderson

• Black Miracle (Milestone, 1976)

With Freddie Hubbard

• High Energy (Columbia, 1974)

With Bobbi Humphrey

• Blacks and Blues (Blue Note, 1973)
• Satin Doll (Blue Note, 1974)
• Fancy Dancer (Blue Note, 1975)

With Bobby Hutcherson

• Montara (Blue Note, 1975)

With Yosui Inoue

• Nishoku no Koma (Polydor, 1974)

With Ahmad Jamal

• Genetic Walk (20th Century, 1975)

With Bob James

• One (1974)
• Two (1975)
• Three (1976)
• Four (1977)
• Heads (1977)

With Carole King

• Rhymes and Reasons (Ode, 1972)
• Fantasy (Epic, 1973)

With Hubert Laws

• The San Francisco Concert (CTI, 1975)

With Kenny Loggins

• Celebrate Me Home (Columbia, 1977)

With Wade Marcus

• Metamorphosis (ABC, 1976)

With Carmen McRae

• Can't Hide Love (Blue Note, 1976)

With Luis Miguel

• Aries (Warner Bros., 1993)

With Joe Pass

• Whitestone (Pablo, 1985)

With Lee Ritenour

• Gentle Thoughts (JVC, 1977)
• Captain Fingers (Epic, 1977)
• Sugar Loaf Express (JVC, 1977)
• Earth Run (GRP, 1986)

With Rufus

• Numbers (ABC, 1979)

With Patrice Rushen

• Now (Elektra, 1984)

With Véronique Sanson

• Le Maudit (Warner Bros., 1974)

With Moacir Santos

• Saudade (Blue Note, 1974)
• Carnival of the Spirits (Blue Note, 1975)

With Diane Schuur

• Midnight (Concord, 2003)

With Marlena Shaw

• Who Is This Bitch, Anyway? (Blue Note, 1974)

With Donna Summer

• Donna Summer (Geffen, 1982)

With Gábor Szabó

• Macho (Salvation, 1975)

With Stanley Turrentine

• Have You Ever Seen the Rain (Fantasy, 1975)
• Everybody Come On Out (Fantasy, 1976)
• Wonderland (Blue Note, 1984)

With Kazumi Watanabe

• Mermaid Boulevard (Alfa, 1978)

With Grover Washington, Jr.

• A Secret Place (Kudu, 1976)
• Mister Magic (Kudu, 1973)

With Jimmy Webb

• El Mirage (Atlantic, 1977)

With Gary Wright

• Headin' Home (Warner Bros., 1979)

External links

• Official website