Drummer Billy Hart was recently named an NEA Jazz Master and with his long and impressive resume, it was surprising that he wasn’t named one before. A first-call sideman for many years, he’s performed and recorded with just about every major figure in the history of jazz (including Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Smith, Wes Montgomery, Pharoah Sanders and Miles Davis). Since 2003, he’s led his own quartet, featuring younger musicians with sizable reputations of their own: pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Ben Street and saxophonist Mark Turner. Billy is also a member of The Cookers, another outstanding all-star group that has performed at just about every festival in the world.