Jim Black has been playing drums for twenty-one years. Born in 1967, he grew up in Seattle, WA, playing music ranging from garage rock to big band swing. In 1985, he went to Boston, MA to attend the Berklee College of Music. During this time he recorded numerous albums, performed in Europe, and taught summer classes at Berklee. In 1991, he moved to Brooklyn, NY.
Jim has been touring and recording with many diverse groups including Pachora and Human Feel, as a co-leader/composer, with Ellery Eskelin, Chris Speed's Yeah No, Tim Berne's Bloodcount, Dave Douglas' Tiny Bell Trio, and Uri Caine's Mahler Project.
Jim is currently composing music for his quartet "Alas No Axis", which will record his debut album as a leader for Winter and Winter Recordings in February 2000. He also performs with his other quartet "Beat Table", featuring Skuli Sverrisson, DJ Olive, and Zeena Parkins.