by Jay Mazza

If you could only use one word to describe New Orleans drummer Kevin O'Day, that word would have to be "versatile." He is skilled in a plethora of styles from traditional jazz to the hip hop beats of the 21st century.

Kevin now plays with some of the most happening bands in New Orleans. Kevin O'Day Band, Kevin O'Day Jazz Trio, K.O'D. Hip Hop Alive, Midnite Disturbers, One Hundred and One Runners, Kirk Joseph's Backyard Groove, and Troy Sawyer's Jazz Trio.

O'Day has worked with soul and blues legend Walter "Wolfman" Washington's Roadmasters, taking over the drum chair that was held for many years by Wilbert "Junkyard Dog" Arnold. In addition to his work with Washington's regular band, he also has led an allstar quartet that features Washington, trumpeter James Andrews and keyboardist Brian Coogan.

In recent years, O'Day has also worked with Funky Meters guitarist Brian Stoltz's solo project. His resume also includes stints with the groove jazz of Have Soul Will Travel; the roots rock of Anders Osborne and Eric Lindell; the hoodoo blues of Papa Mali as well as the contemporary jazz of saxophonist Robert Wagner.

In a town filled with great drummers and renowned across the globe for percussive innovation beginning with the great trad jazz drummer Warren "Baby" Dodds, O'Day stands out as the go-to guy for gigs of any variety. He is regarded among his peers as a drummer's drummer with a passion that never wanes and a sympathetic ear that defines musical telepathy.

O'Day, who is also a well-regarded composer and lyricist, gravitated to music at an early age developing proficiency on the piano and guitar before finding his muse behind the drum kit at the age of 11. He matriculated through Loyola University under the tutelage of Johnny Vidacovich- the dean of working and teaching drummers in the Crescent City. But long before he completed his course work, O'Day was working the clubs and festivals of New Orleans.

One of his first local gigs was with multi-reedman Robert Wagner at the now- defunct Kaldi's Coffee House. The trio, which featured bassist Andy Wolf, would set the stage for future musical explorations and establish O'Day's jazz credentials. The three musicians went on to become the core of the avant- performance band Iris May Tango and years later O'Day would appear on Wagner's adventurous solo debut.

O'Day's first brush with major label national attention came as a member of the critically acclaimed group Royal Fingerbowl, that signed with TVT Records in 1997. The band's unusual instrumentation, standup bass (Wolf again), sit-down electric guitar along with O'Day's minimalist drum kit, and eclectic repertoire helped him develop his sense of dynamics. The band could effortlessly veer from a jazz-inflected original that evoked the Tin Pan Alley tunes of yesteryear to a manic cover of Ozzy Osborne's "Crazy Train."

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