Houghton Brings Act To Ewu

Pity the poor drummer.

Stuck behind his kit at the back of the band, even the best of the breed can fail to capture the public’s imagination.

In jazz, where musical liaisons can be short-lived, the problem is compounded.

Case in point: Steve Houghton, who appears Friday in concert at Eastern Washington University with the EWU Jazz Ensemble and the Bob Curnow Big Band.

Houghton has not yet gained household-name status, but he has held down some of the most desirable jobs in jazz.

When he was just 20, Houghton snagged a premier gig, drumming for Woody Herman’s Young Thundering Herd.

Following two years with Herman, he retired to the studios of Dallas, where he spent four years polishing his reading skills.

Next, Toshiko Akiyoshi took Houghton deep into the world of contemporary big-band jazz. Akiyoshi is a brilliant pianist and one of the great contemporary big band leaders and composers; her band is packed with great players.

As if those weren’t credentials enough, Houghton seized the moment when Freddie Hubbard needed a last-minute fill-in back in 1980. That relationship stretched into a two-year gig.

He also has played with Joe Henderson, Barbra Streisand, Arturo Sandoval, Gary Burton, Billy Childs, Scott Henderson and Bob Florence.

Now, Houghton is comfortably ensconced in Los Angeles where he is an in-demand session drummer and occasional band leader. His most recent recordings are “Steve Houghton” (Signature-Mesa Bluemoon) and “Windsong” (Warner/Belwin).

When Bob Curnow needed a drummer for his big band adaptation of the Pat Metheny songbook, “The Music of Pat Metheny and Lyle Mayes,” he tabbed Houghton.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: CONCERT Steve Houghton will appear with the EWU Jazz Ensemble and the Bob Curnow Big Band at 8 p.m. Friday in the Showalter Auditorium on the EWU campus in Cheney. General-admission tickets are $8; student and senior admission is $5.