Barry Elmes

Since the early 1980s drummer Barry Elmes has remained a steady presence in Toronto’s jazz community. Leading his own projects, he gravitates toward the bop and pre-bop traditions of drumming. His sideman recordings, however, reveal broader range; sessions with figures as varied as Kenny Wheeler and Dizzy Gillespie demonstrate command of numerous idioms. After relocating to Toronto in 1973 he worked and recorded alongside Tommy Flanagan, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, Don Thompson, Ed Bickert, Joe Henderson, Dizzy Gillespie, and the Moe Koffman Quintet, while also co-leading the ensemble Time Warp alongside bassist Alan Henderson. Jazz Report named him Jazz Musician of the Year in both 1993 and 1994, and Drummer of the Year from 1994 through 1996.