Franklin Kiermyer

Franklin Kiermyer
Background information
Born	(1956-07-21) 21 July 1956 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instrument(s)	Drums
Website	kiermyer.com

Franklin Kiermyer (born 21 July 1956) is a jazz drummer, composer, and bandleader.

Biography

Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Kiermyer first gained attention in 1994 with his album Solomon's Daughter, featuring tenor saxophonist and former John Coltrane bandmate Pharoah Sanders. Known mostly for his particularly expansive style of drumming and the passionate spiritual focus of his music, he has performed and recorded with spiritual musicians from other cultures, as well as many leading figures in jazz.

Having reached a turning point in his evolution, Kiermyer spent much of 2001 to 2010 in remote Himalayan regions of Nepal and India on various solitary Buddhist meditation retreats, following the instructions of his teacher Khenchen Kyabje Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche. His musical output during this time was minimal. Kiermyer has stated that he felt this period was instrumental in reaching his spiritual and musical goals.

Scatter The Atoms That Remain is Kiermyer's present band founded in 2017 as a direct evolution of his music. Pianist Davis Whitfield began working with Kiermyer in 2014, when he was 21 years old and assumed the responsibilities of Musical Director for the band in June of 2020.

Since its inception, Scatter The Atoms That Remain has featured outstanding musicians rounding out the lineup. Usually performing and/or recording as a quartet or quintet, the band has included at various times: saxophonists Gary Bartz, Billy Harper, Isaiah Collier, Jovan Alexandre, Ben Solomon, George Garzone, Lawrence Clark, Emilio Modeste, Boris Blanchet and Michael Troy - trumpeters Randy Brecker, Keyon Harrold, Josh Evans, Giveton Gelin and a cameo by Roy Hargrove a few weeks before his untimely passing. - bassists Gene Perla, Geraud Portal, Otto Gardner, Yasushi Nakamura and Eric Wheeler. Pianist Aaron Parks, vocalist and flautist Melanie Charles and vocalist Rita Payes hace also been guests on recordings with the band. Video recordings of some of these collaborations have been published on Scatter The Atom's Instagram page

Scatter The Atoms' first release, Exultation, was co-produced by Kiermyer and legendary producer Michael Cuscuna, as was Closer to the Sun and Further. Cuscuna has gone on record praising Kiermyer's music: "It's the urgency you feel when you listen ... Franklin got beyond his influences and comes through with him as an original player — his feel, his rhythmic patterns ... He has his own way of playing the drums, his own way of organizing music, his own way of unfolding a performance." Emancipation Suite, released in 2022 only on limited edition LP, was chosen as one of Down Beat Magazine's best albums of the year "Scatter the Atoms That Remain calls for universal freedoms such as it enacts." Howard Mandel

Scatter The Atoms That Remain is currently recording their new album "One Is Love", Co-produced by Kiermyer and Jason Olaine. One Is Love is slated for release in early 2025.

Discography

As leader

Year recorded	Title	Label	#	Info/Personnel
2020	Emancipation Suite	Mobility Music	MM 211015	Scatter The Atoms That Remain Franklin Kiermyer – Drums, Composer, Band Leader, Emilio Modeste – tenor saxophone, Davis Whitfield – piano, Otto Gardner – bass, produced by: Franklin Kiermyer ... released 02/15/2022
2019	Exultation	Dot Time	DT 9085	Scatter The Atoms That Remain Franklin Kiermyer – Drums, Composer, Band Leader, Jovan Alexandre – tenor saxophone, Davis Whitfield – piano, Otto Gardner – bass, produced by: Franklin Kiermyer & Michael Cuscuna
2019*	Solomon’s Daughter	Dot Time	DT 7103	re-issue of 1994 release with 3 previously unreleased songs Franklin Kiermyer – Drums, Composer, Band Leader, Pharoah Sanders – tenor saxophone, John Esposito – piano, Drew Gress – bass
2016	Closer to the Sun	Mobility Music	MM 11016	Franklin Kiermyer – Drums, Composer, Band Leader, Lawrence Clark – tenor saxophone Davis Whitfield – piano Otto Gardner – bass produced by Franklin Kiermyer & Michael Cuscuna
2014	Further	Mobility Music	MM 020131	Franklin Kiermyer – Drums, Composer, Band Leader, Azar Lawrence – tenor saxophone Benito Gonzalez – piano Juini Booth – bass produced by Franklin Kiermyer & Michael Cuscuna
2000	Great Drum of the Secret Mirror	SunShip	SSR 099003	The verses pertaining to the example of the Drum from the chapter called "The Seventh Vajra Point: Activity" of the Ratnagotravibhanga or Mahayanottaratantra-sastra ~ The Greater Vehicle Treatise on the Highest Continuum ~ One of the "Five Dharmas of Maitreya" given by Arya Maitreya to Arya Asanga rediscovered by the great Indian master Maitripa Following the instructions of the Tibetan yogi and scholar, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, set to music by Kiermyer and sung in Tibetan and English by many different singers.
2000	Sanctification	SunShip	SSR 099002	Franklin Kiermyer – Drums, Composer, Band Leader, Michael Stuart – tenor saxophone John Esposito – piano Fima Ephron – bass
1999	Auspicious Blazing Sun	SunShip	SSR 099001	Chant + ritual instruments: Franklin Kiermyer – Drums, Umdze Lodro Samphel. Dhondup Namgyal Khorko, Karma Dhodul, Chimey Dorje, Sherab Sangpo, Chojor Radha, Tom Schmidt
1996	Kairos	Evidence Music	ECD 22144-2	Franklin Kiermyer – Drums, Composer, Band Leader, Michael Stuart – tenor saxophone, Sam Rivers – soprano saxophone, Eric Person – alto saxophone, John Esposito – piano, Dom Richards – bass, Drew Gress – bass
1994	Solomon’s Daughter	Evidence Music	ECD 22083-2	Franklin Kiermyer – Drums, Composer, Band Leader, Pharoah Sanders – tenor saxophone, John Esposito – piano, Drew Gress – bass produced by: Franklin Kiermyer & engineered by Roy Cicala
1993	In the House of My Fathers	Konnex Records	KCD 5052	Franklin Kiermyer – Drums, Composer, Band Leader, Dave Douglas – trumpet, John Stubblefield – saxophone, John Esposito – piano, Anthony Cox – bass, Drew Gress – bass, Tom Chess – guitar, Eric St. Laurent – guitar, Chris Gekker – trumpet, Daniel Grabois – horn, John Rojak – bass trombone, David Braynard – tuba
1992	Break down the Walls	Konnex Records	KCD 5044	Franklin Kiermyer – Drums, Composer, Band Leader, Peter Madsen - piano, Tony Scherr - bass, Chris Gekker - trumpet, Russ Rizner - horn, John Rojak - trombone, Dave Braynard - tuba

External links

• Franklin Kiermyer
• Scatter The Atoms That Remain