Although Gene Krupa was his initial inspiration, others have helped shape Bedford's approach to the drums, including Buddy Rich, Big Sid Catlett, and Max Roach. He also gleaned much from other instrumentalists, including Stan Getz, Lester Young, and Miles Davis. While he has recorded prolifically as a sideman, there are relatively few albums with him as leader. QuaDRUMvirate did, however, appear in 2000 for George Buck's Progressive label. Bedford moved to Wyoming in 1986. There he instructs in percussion at Northwest College in Powell. While living and working in Wyoming, Bedford has organized eight tours, calling on friends from New York and Los Angeles to join him as Ronnie Bedford Friends, playing in the Northern Rocky Mountain region and beyond. Bedford is among the founders of the Yellow Jazz Festival, held in Cody, WY, annually since 1988. His efforts promoting music in Wyoming, jazz in particular, won him the 1993 Governor's Award for the Arts. When he is not performing or teaching, Bedford enjoys listening to jazz performers, including Clifford Brown, Bill Evans, Duke Ellington, and Horace Silver, as well as to classical music. ~ Dave Nathan, Rovi
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All Blues |
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Now's the Time |
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Stardust |