Jeremy Cunningham

Jeremy Cunningham is a drummer, composer, and improviser. Originally from Cincinnati, he moved to Chicago in 2009, where he currently performs and composes as an integral part of the city’s vibrant music scene. Since moving to Chicago, Cunningham has carved out a reputation for a sensitivity to the music, a distinctive touch on the cymbals, and an ability to create textures as a counterpoint to the soloist. He has performed with an impressive roster of luminaries such as Von Freeman, Chris Foreman, Jeff Parker, Mike Allemana, Marquis Hill, Caroline Davis, Nick Mazzarella, and Dave Miller. He can be heard on Marquis Hill’s albums “New Gospel” and “Sounds of the City,” as well as Caroline Davis’s “Live, Work, Play.” In addition to performing in clubs and festivals throughout Chicago, Cunningham also appears throughout the United States with various projects. He’s has toured internationally with IsWhat?!, the Moshier/Lebrun Collective, and Paul Giallorenzo’s GitGo.

Cunningham wrote 2020’s ‘The Weather Up There’ in response to the loss of his brother Andrew, who died in a home invasion robbery in 2008. Co-produced by Jeff Parker and Paul Bryan, and engineered by Paul Bryan and John McEntire, this new work confronts the tragedy of violence and examines the acute ripple effect on several people’s lives through the lens of memory, response, and collage. Further deepening the textural and emotive impact, Cunningham formed a “drum choir” for these recordings, comprised of close mentors and colleagues Mike Reed, Makaya McCraven, and Mikel Patrick Avery. Cunningham also taps regular collaborators Ben LaMar Gay, Jaimie Branch, Tomeka Reid, Dustin Laurenzi, Matt Ulery, and Josh Johnson.