Dennis Chambers

Born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1959, Dennis Chambers established himself from the late 1970s in a register spanning funk, jazz, jazz fusion and Latin rock, with a dense, very precise playing style deeply anchored in groove. He joined Parliament-Funkadelic in 1978, then in 1986 joined John Scofield's band, two steps that permanently established Dennis Chambers on the funk and jazz-rock stages. Over the decades, his career also led him to work with Santana, John McLaughlin, Mike Stern, George Duke, the Brecker Brothers, Victor Wooten, or Steely Dan, while developing a more collective approach within ensembles such as Niacin, a jazz-rock trio, and CAB. As a leader, Dennis Chambers released Big City in 1991, Getting Even in 1992, Outbreak in 2002, Planet Earth in 2005 and Groove and More in 2014. His style combines power, rapid articulation and a sense of placement, with fluid movement between funk meters, fusion phrasing and accents borrowed from contemporary jazz. Dennis Chambers thus remains associated with a rhythmic practice that is both spectacular in execution and firmly rooted in the dialogue between bass, guitar and improvisation.