Avreeayl Ra

Avreeayl Ra is a drummer and percussionist born in Chicago on 21 May 1947, where he still lives. A long-standing member of the AACM, he has played in the city's free jazz and creative music scene for decades, and he is known for his work with Fred Anderson, Sun Ra, Lester Bowie and Nicole Mitchell. Ra grew up around music: his father, the tenor saxophonist Arthur "Swinglee" O'Neil, mentored young Chicago players including John Gilmore. His own link with the AACM began through lessons with co-founder Kelan Philip Cohran.