About Frank Gant
Lived 1931 – 2021 (aged 90). Frank Gant was an American jazz musician and drummer.
Frank Gant (May 26, 1931- July 19, 2021) was an American jazz drummer.
Gant, a native of Detroit, Michigan, recorded with Donald Byrd, Sonny Stitt, and extensively with Yusef Lateef in the late 1950s. He then worked with Red Garland before joining Ahmad Jamal's trio (1966-1976).
His first gigs were with Billy Mitchell and Pepper Adams. After working with Little John Wilson and his Merry Men at the Madison Ballroom including four days backing Billie Holiday, Gant joined Alvin Jackson's house band at the Blue Bird.
As the house drummer at Detroit's Club 12, with Jackson's band, he backed Thelonious Monk and Charlie Rouse in September 1959.
In the 1970s, he accompanied Jamil Nasser and Harold Mabern as the rhythm section for workshops run by Cobi Narita.
Discography As sideman With Sonny Stitt 1958: Sonny Stitt 1960: Burnin' (recorded 1958) With Yusef Lateef 1958: Lateef at Cranbrook 1959: The Dreamer 1959: The Fabric of Jazz 1960: Cry! - Tender With Red Garland 1962: The Nearness of You 1962: Solar 1984: Misty Red With Ahmad Jamal 1966: Heat Wave 1968: Tranquility 1970: The Awakening 1971: Freeflight 1971: Outertimeinnerspace 1976: Recorded Live at Oil Can Harry's With Al Haig 1977: Manhattan Memories (Sea Breeze, re. 1983) With others 1955: Byrd Jazz – Donald Byrd 1958: Breakin' It Up – Barry Harris 1964: Proof Positive – J. J. Johnson (Impulse!) 1979: Monty Alexander in Tokyo – Monty Alexander with Gant and Andy Simpkins 1986: Moonray – Adam Makowicz with Gant, Jamil Nasser, Deborah Henson-Conant and Ed Saindon
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Important facts
People in Frank Gant's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Frank Gant's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Frank Gant?
American jazz drummer (1931–2021)
When was Frank Gant born?
Frank Gant was born on 26 May 1931 in Detroit.
When did Frank Gant die?
Frank Gant died on 19 July 2021 in The Bronx.
What was Frank Gant's occupation?
Frank Gant was a jazz musician and drummer.
What nationality was Frank Gant?
Frank Gant was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Frank Gant. https://biography.guide/frank-gant/
MLA: "Frank Gant." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/frank-gant/.
Chicago: "Frank Gant." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/frank-gant/.
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