Biography and CV of Professional Musician and Educator, Lee Allatson.
“I consider myself lucky to have found music. I’ve enjoyed performing across continents whilst also facilitating learning through my Leicester teaching practice. This mix of music, people and playing environments has shaped my personal development and, I hope, contributed to my own unique character in music.”
Lee Allatson teaches drums and percussion at Dye House Drum Works.
“In 2009, I opened Dye House Drum Works – which is my teaching base to this day”
Lee has been a music industry professional for over 30 years and in 2021, celebrated delivering his 25,000th drum lesson.
A fluent player in most styles of music, including rock, jazz, funk, free improvisation, Latin American, Arabic and many other areas of World music, Lee is also an established writer and composer. As a player, he has an eclectic CV having worked with many leading artists, including: Prince Buster (ska), Bill Drummond (KLF), Paul Dunmall and John Russell (improvisation), Eddie Parker and Orphy Robinson OBE (jazz) and Damo Suzuki (Can).
His teaching posts have included tenures for Drumstix, Carlsbro Retail and the Drum Academy, as well as peripatetic work for the Leicestershire Education Authority. Lee has also presented as a guest lecturer for De Montfort University, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the University of Wolverhampton, York University and Leicester University. He has hosted Music Performance and Music Business seminars at Leicester College and for many community bands and groups.
Workshops and Masterclasses:
Lee Allatson has worked with: Chad Smith (Red Hot Chilli Peppers), Steve White (Paul Weller/independent), Dom Famularo (international educator), Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden), Carl Palmer (soloist/ELP), Pete Riley (Rhythm mag), Trevor Thornton (Asia), Birger Sulsbruck (PJ Percussion), Jim Chapin (educator and author), Pick Withers (Dire Straits), Edwin Prevost (AMM), Leicestershire’s Magna Band and Leicester College.
Lee Allatson — CV
Current: Lee is an active performer and bandleader on the Midlands jazz and World music scenes, as founder an coordinator of The Fourmasons, Grupo Bossa and 17-piece ‘World jazz juggernaut’ Ka Safar.
Lee Allatson – Playing Credits
A regular player on the UK free improvised music scene…
Lee has played with Steve Beresford, Maggie Nichols, Phil Minton, Damo Suzuki (Can, Soundcarriers), John Russell, Paul Dunmall (Keith Tippett, Alice Coltrane), Alan Wilkinson, Hannah Marshall; Shih-Yang Lee, Liu Fang-Yi and Zhang You-Sheng (Kandala Records); Masaharu Showji (UK tour), Christopher Hobbs (Cornelius Cardew/Scratch Orchestra, AMM), Virginia Anderson (Musicologist/EMC writer), Mark Sanders (Evan Parker, Otomo Yoshihide), Tim Harries (Brian Eno, Bill Bruford), Walt Shaw, Bruce Coates & Jamie Smith (FrImp).
He has appeared at: Sound Source at London’s Luminaire venue; Fizzle and Dr. Steve’s Jazz Surgery (Birmingham); Skronkfest and Oooh! Fest at New River Studios (London); John Russell’s Discovery Fest, Fete Qua Qua and Mopomoso (The Vortex); Kandala Records residency (Cafe Oto); Hundred Years Gallery; Birmingham Improvisers Orchestra events at Centrala, as well as Leicester’s Stench music festival. Lee also founded and coordinated the South Leicestershire Improvisors Ensemble.
Early years: “I got started playing on steel pans in junior school when I was about 8 or 9 years old. My dad had always played in bands and I was brought up surrounded by music and musicians. I started taking percussion lessons with Dougie Wright (UK 60’s and 70’s session musician/John Barry Seven) when I was 11. I was very lucky as my secondary school (Judgemeadow, Leicester) had a strong music department, headed by John Broadhurst who, along with Dougie and my family, I have to thank for the joyous career I have today.”
‘This is ska!’
In the 1990’s, Lee enjoyed a period freelancing with various ska music artists, playing with Prince Buster, Laurel Aiken, Dawn Penn, Winston Francis, Delroy Williams, Skaboom, El Pussycat Ska, Kingsize and members of The Specials, Desmond Decker and Junior Murvin’s bands.
He has also worked with singer songwriters, including Jackie Leven (Doll by Doll), Kevin Hewick (Factory Records), Sally Barker (The Poozies/The Voice winner) and Sophie Joiner, aka Mrs. Pilgrimm.
Working with dance
A keen advocate of cross-discipline art forms, Lee is a co-director of the Near Miss Company (Associate Artists at De Montfort University, Leicester). The group has performed at DMU Borderlines Conference; UK Young Artists (Nottingham, 2019); East Midlands in Focus (Nottingham, Dance4) and Skronkfest (London, 2019).
2000-2010: ‘Misterlee’
Lee has written and performed under the name of Misterlee, recording and releasing music through his own Rubber Czech Records label:
With this project, Lee worked with bandmates Jamie Smith (guitar) and Mick Oxtoby (violin). The band shared bills with Sebadoh, Hamell on Trial, David Thomas (Pere Ubo), Mountain Goats, Jeffrey Lewis, Enon, Lach, Major Matt Mason, Jazz Butcher, Thomas Truax, Duke Special and Curtis Eller. As a band, Misterlee toured extensively in the UK including several major festival appearances, as well as touring the US.
“My formal music education was at the Leicestershire School of Music, where I played percussion in a series of wind bands and orchestras. This brought balance to my discovery of rock music in school bands during my early teens: the disciplined snare drum of Ravel’s Bolero on a Saturday morning followed by the chaos of The Who’s ‘Baba O’Reilly’ in the afternoon! The LSM taught me the breadth of music and musicianship; working under direction and the wider ‘tool box’ of the percussion section – whilst my early forays into bands opened up a world of songwriting, rocking out and blisters!”
Lee Allatson was born in Leicester in 1970 and now makes his home in Market Harborough, South Leicestershire, UK.
Other credits: Bill Drummond (KLF/The 17); A Ritual for Elephant and Castle (Wildbirds and Peacedrums, Coronet theatre, London); conceptualist behind the Summer Sundae Weekender Fringe Festival and organiser/promoter of the First International series of festivals at Firebug bar (Leicester); One Voice for Care choral event with the Fron Choir and Military Wives Choir. In 1995, Lee even covered 30+ shows with Showaddywaddy, while their regular sticksman – Romeo Challenger – had a hip operation!
