Abe Laboriel Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Playing as sideman withPaul McCartney, 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Abraham Laboriel Jr. March 23, 1971 (1971-03-23) (age 54) |
| Origin | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock,pop |
| Occupation | Drummer |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
Abraham Laboriel Jr. (born March 23, 1971) is an Americansession musician best known as the drummer and backing vocalist ofPaul McCartney'stouring band since 2001.[1] He is the son of Mexican bass guitaristAbraham Laboriel, nephew of Mexican rock musicianJohnny Laboriel, and brother of record producer, songwriter and film composer Mateo Laboriel.
The son of jazz bass playerAbraham Laboriel, Abe grew up playing drums starting at age four.[1] His mother is a classically trained singer.[2]
Laboriel was mentored by well-known percussionists and drummers, includingJeff Porcaro,Chester Thompson, along with Bill Maxwell andAlex Acuña, who had formed the bandKoinonia with his father in the 1980s.
He attended theDick Grove School of Music, studying with Peter Donald, during his junior year in high school. He also attended theHamilton High School Academy of Music in Los Angeles in his senior year. Here he first experienced the use of programming and became a member of a marching band. He formed a jazz trio withVernell Brown andMike Elizondo.[2] In 1989, he was honored by theNational Foundation for Advancement in the Arts andDown Beat magazine. He then enrolled at theBerklee College of Music, where he graduated in 1993.[1]
Laboriel's first break as a drummer was a tour with guitaristSteve Vai. He then toured withSeal, where he was seen by record producers around Los Angeles which led to session work.[1] Laboriel next toured withk.d. lang whereSting saw him and invited Laboriel to join Sting's touring band. He also toured and recorded in studio with formerMenudo memberRobi Draco Rosa on his albumVagabundo.
Laboriel has also recorded and performed withFiona Apple,Jonatha Brooke,Crystal Lewis,Shakira,B.B. King,Steven Curtis Chapman,Eric Clapton,Johnny Hallyday,Jenifer,Steve Winwood,Les Paul,Ashlee Simpson,LeAnn Rimes,Mylène Farmer,Letters to Cleo,Vanessa Carlton,Kelly Clarkson,Lady Gaga,Tyler Bryant,Steve Lukather,Jerry Cantrell and others.[1] Lewis and Laboriel were also both a part of the Nickelodeon television series,Roundhouse in the 1990s.
For his 2001 album,Driving Rain, Paul McCartney told producerDavid Kahne he wanted to return to the spontaneity he remembered when working withThe Beatles. He recalled that his bandmates and producer would often be hearing the songs he had written for the first time at the start of the recording session, having had no time to learn or rehearse. McCartney felt this made the recordings sound "fresh," and told Kahne he wanted to record this album the same way. To achieve this, Kahne assembled a band of session musicians, Laboriel included, who had never met McCartney until their first day in the studio together.[3][4] Laboriel has been part of McCartney's recording and touring band ever since.
Laboriel was part of apower trio calledThe Raging Honkies, together withMichael Landau. He is part of the collective that isChocolate Genius, Inc.
In 2006 during the show "Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy" ("Before the shadow... at Bercy"), Laboriel sang a duet "Les Mots" ("The words") withMylène Farmer.[2] He also played with Sting at theMontreux Jazz Festival that year. Laboriel toured with Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood on their 14-date American Tour in 2009 following their Japanese tour the year before.[5] He made his live debut with Paul McCartney atThe Concert for New York City in 2001, and has played on every McCartney tour since then.[6]
In addition to drums, Laboriel also sings and plays bass, guitar and keyboards.[7] When touring with McCartney, he will occasionally switch to one of these instruments to accommodate certain songs and on his 2013 solo albumNaked, he played every instrument.
In 2021, Laboriel played drums onJerry Cantrell's albumBrighten.[8] In 2022, he contributed drums and percussion to "Mrs. Mills" on the solo albumEarthling fromPearl Jam singerEddie Vedder.
About his playing, Laboriel noted: "As much as I would love to say I have an original sound, I think the truth is I have an original filter. I'd listen so much and so hard to so many different people that what's original about me is not necessarily what I play but how I play it, how I interpret it hasn't already been done. It's more about the energy and the intensity, it's not about the specific fills, it's more about the intention."[2]
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Laboriel endorsesDrum Workshop drums,Paiste cymbals, Remo drumheads andVic Firth drumsticks.
DW Collector's series drums:
Paiste cymbals:
Laboriel has his own signature Vic Firth drumstick which is similar to a regular 2B wood tip drumstick but in 17" length.
