about

A man with a beard, glasses, and a gold watch is standing sideways against a beige background. He is wearing a white cap with colorful floral embroidery and red accents, a dark green jacket, and jeans. He is holding a stack of three vintage cymbals, with rusted surfaces, one partially resting on his arm.
A man with a beard, glasses, and a gold watch is standing sideways against a beige background. He is wearing a white cap with colorful floral embroidery and red accents, a dark green jacket, and jeans. He is holding a stack of three vintage cymbals, with rusted surfaces, one partially resting on his arm.

henry conerway iii has emerged as one of the most “in demand” drummers on the jazz scene in the U.S. and abroad since making his pilgrimage to New York City in 2015. Conerway has provided rhythmic support for global touring artists such as; the iconic Freddy Cole; the stalwart Jazz at Lincoln Center trumpeter, Marcus Printup; the Grammy Award winning Count Basie Band director, trumpeter Scotty Barnhart; Grammy nominated vocalist, Jazzmeia Horn; Grammy nominated trumpeter, Russell Gunn; and several residencies with Jazz at Lincoln Center’s clubs abroad in Doha, Qatar and Shanghai, China.

His notable performances include such esteemed venues as: The North Sea Jazz Festival, The Detroit Jazz Festival, Winter Jazzfest, The Atlanta Jazz Festival and many more. Conerway has been a regular at NYC jazz clubs including Minton’s, Birdland, Smalls, Mezzrow, Smoke; Jazz at Lincoln Center and its Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola.

Conerway, a proud Detroit native, made extraordinary use of the many educational and cultural opportunities of that formidable city, spending several years studying under the tutelage of the late, great trumpeter, Marcus Belgrave as a member of the Detroit Symphony’s Civic Jazz Orchestra. His thirst for the jazz idiom was nurtured there by his parents.

While matriculating at Atlanta’s historic Morehouse College (B.A. in Music Composition), Henry co-founded the group, Jaspects, which toured frequently in Memphis and the US, successfully selling thousands of their own recordings. They frequently collaborated with such luminaries as Maroon 5’s P.J. Morton; Grammy nominated Janelle Monáe; Tyler Perry’s Tony Hightower, and Chantae Cann; who can each be heard on Jaspects' recordings. Henry has also composed original works for film and performed in theatre settings including the Tony Award nominated “Shuffle Along.”

Conerway now resides in Memphis, with his wife and two daughters. He has assumed the mantle of mentor to the students of the Memphis Jazz Workshop, while also serving as artist in residence at the Memphis Drum Shop.

“Henry Conerway always comes prepared for the musical task at hand, and you can always count on an amazing job being done. He is an A Team player.”

— Richard D. Johnson, United States Jazz Ambassador, M.M. & A.D. Boston Conservatory/New England Conservatory

“Henry Conerway III is a great new voice in modern drumming. He understands and plays the tradition simultaneously with the here and now.”

— Russell Gunn, Grammy nominated Composer/Trumpeter

“HC3! Always swinging! Always vibing! Classy! Soulful! The best!”

— Marcus Printup, Trumpet, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

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