Blackman was born November 18, 1959, in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Her mother and grandmother were classical musicians and her uncle was a vibist.[2] As a child, her mother took her to classical concerts.[3]
Blackman's introduction to the drums happened at the age of seven in Yellow Springs. At a pool party at a friend's house. she saw a drum set and began playing them. "Just looking at them struck something in my core, and it was completely right from the second I saw them," says Blackman. "And then, when I hit them, it was like, wow, that's me."[4] Soon after, Blackman began playing in the school band and persuaded her parents to get her toy drums.[4][5]
Blackman then attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she studied with Alan Dawson, who had also taught Tony Williams, an inspiration for Blackman.[7] While she was at Berklee, a friend recommended her for a gig with The Drifters,[5] so Blackman left college after three semesters and moved to New York City in 1982.[2]
Career
Blackman performing at Iridium Jazz Club in New York City in December 2007
In New York City, Blackman worked as a performer[8] but also attended shows to listen to masters play.[5]Art Blakey became a significant influence.[9] Blackman said, "he really was like a father to me. I learned a lot just watching him. I asked him a lot of questions about the drums and music – and he answered all of them."[9]
Blackman performing with Lenny Kravitz in Chile in March 2005
In 1993, Blackman had an opportunity to work with Lenny Kravitz. From New York, Blackman talked over the phone with Kravitz in Los Angeles, and played drums for him as he listened. Kravitz immediately asked Blackman to fly out to LA. She stayed for two weeks including shooting the video for "Are You Gonna Go My Way".[5] She would go on to have an 18-year run as Kravitz's touring drummer.[10]
In the late 1990s, Blackman made her first recording with a working group. They called the album Telepathy because of the tight communication in the band.[11] Blackman and her band also recorded the instructional video Multiplicity.[12]
In 2004, Blackman took a break from touring with Lenny Kravitz to focus on her own music.[13] That year, she released Music for the New Millennium on her Sacred Sounds Label.[8] "We experiment – but it's never free. Everything is written out. I have charts for all the songs. We expand on what's there, and stretch harmonics and note choices".[8]
In September 2007, she made a tour of South America, teaching clinics in Argentina, Chile, and Brazil,[14] and on November 30, 2007, Blackman and her quartet performed at Art After 5 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
In 2010, she released a first tribute album to her inspiration Tony Williams. Another Lifetime featured Mike Stern on guitar and organist Doug Carn following the line-up of the original Tony Williams Lifetime. As guest musicians appear Joe Lovano, Patrice Rushen and Vernon Reid. Reid is the lead guitarist on the second Williams tribute album Spectrum Road (2012), a collaboration between Blackman, Reid, John Medeski on organ and former bassist of Lifetime and CreamJack Bruce. Bruce also sings on three tracks of the album and Blackman lends her voice to "Where", originally written by (then Lifetime guitarist) John McLaughlin and sung by Williams (Emergency!, 1969), which already appeared on Another Lifetime in an instrumental version. She appeared at the 2011 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, where she played drums for husband Carlos's one-off reunion with John McLaughlin, after which she helped mix the sound for the video.
In 2020, she released a 17 track album titled Give the Drummer Some. On this album, she sings on 11 of the tracks. The album includes performances by John McLaughlin, Matthew Garrison, Vernon Reid, Kirk Hammett, Bill Ortiz, and Neal Evans.[10]
Personal life
Blackman performing at Sesc Pompéia in São Paulo, Brazil, in August 2007
On July 9, 2010, Carlos Santana proposed to Blackman on stage during a concert at Tinley Park, Illinois.[15] Blackman is Santana's touring drummer; he proposed immediately after her drum solo. They were married in Maui, Hawaii on December 19, 2010.[16]
Blackman attended a Baptist church during her teenage years, but became a follower of the Baháʼí Faith at the age of 18; she also started studying Kabbalah in the 2000s.[17] Blackman cultivates spirituality in her musicianship.[17] "I believe that music is so sacred that once you're playing music you are doing the work of prayer, whether you're conscious of it or not, because you have a focused intent," says Blackman.[17]
Blackman is a rarity as a female jazz percussionist.[17] "In the past, there were a lot of stigmas attached to women playing certain instruments," Blackman says. "Any woman, or anyone facing race prejudice, weight prejudice, hair prejudice ... if you let somebody stop you because of their opinions, then the only thing you're doing is hurting yourself. I don't want to give somebody that power over me."[17]
^ abcdVargas, Andrew (May 17, 2007). "Cindy Blackman". archive.li. DRUMHEAD Magazine. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
