Whit Dickey

Bio

Whit Dickey is a drummer and composer known for his deep engagement with the vibrations that drive improvised music. A key figure in New York’s avant-garde jazz scene, Dickey has led numerous ensembles and recorded for his own label, TAO Forms, which he founded in 2020. His label has become a platform for some of the most exciting and forward-thinking jazz of recent years, including releases by James Brandon Lewis and Dickey’s own highly acclaimed albums Expanding Light and Astral Long Form: Staircase in Space. His latest project, Root Perspectives, is a quartet album that explores a sonic vibration Dickey first encountered 15 years ago while obsessively listening to John Coltrane’s Crescent. Featuring a lineup of extraordinary musicians—saxophonist Tony Malaby, pianist Matthew Shipp, and bassist Brandon Lopez—Root Perspectives represents a new chapter in Dickey’s exploration of sound, energy, and mathematical relationships in music. This work continues Dickey’s mission to push the boundaries of jazz through innovative and spontaneous expression.

boundless

community

improvisation