Tom Rainey
Tom Rainey, Moers Festival 2012 Tom Rainey (born September 17, 1957) is an American jazz drummer.
Tom Rainey

Alan Lankin (Flickr: alankin) Philadelphia · Tom Rainey · CC BY 2.0
- Name
- Tom Rainey
- Born
- 17 September 1957
- Birthplace
- Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
- Occupation
- Musician
- Nationality
- United States
- Fields
- jazz · modern creative · avant-garde jazz
- Education
- Berklee College of Music · San Marcos High School
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Tom Rainey, Moers Festival 2012 Tom Rainey (born September 17, 1957) is an American jazz drummer.
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wikidata · Q2440028 · wikipedia · Tom Rainey
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Tom Rainey • Born — 17 September 1957 • Birthplace — Santa Barbara, California, U.S. • Genre — Avant-garde jazz • Occupation — Musician • Instrument — Drums • Years Active — 1980s – present • Label — Screwgun, Clean Feed, Marge • Illustration — Tom Rainey, Moers Festival 2012 Tom Rainey (born September 17, 1957) is an American jazz drummer.
Career
Career
After attending Berklee College of Music he moved to New York in 1979. He has played with Tim Berne, Nels Cline, Drew Gress, Mark Helias, Fred Hersch, Tony Malaby, Simon Nabatov, Tom Varner, and Kenny Werner. Rainey worked with Berne in the 1990s and 2000s in the bands Big Satan, Hard Cell, Paraphrase, and Science Friction. After thirty years as a sideman, he released his first album, Pool School (Clean Feed, 2010) in a trio with guitarist Mary Halvorson and his wife, saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock.
As leader
As leader
• Pool School (Clean Feed, 2010) • Camino Cielo Echo (Intakt, 2012) • Obbligato (Intakt, 2014) • Hotel Grief (Intakt, 2015) • Float Upstream (Intakt, 2017) • Combobulated (Intakt, 2019) • Untucked In Hannover (Intakt, 2021)
As co-leader
As co-leader
With Simon Nabatov & Nils Wogram • Nawora (Leo, 2012) With Ralph Alessi, Kris Davis & Ingrid Laubrock • LARK (Skirl, 2013) With Ingrid Laubrock • And Other Desert Towns (Relative Pitch, 2014) • Buoyancy (Relative Pitch, 2016) • Utter (Relative Pitch, 2018) • Counterfeit Mars (Relative Pitch, 2022) • Brink (Intakt, 2024) With Peter Ehwald & Stefan Schultze • Public Radio (Jazzwerkstatt, 2025)
As sideman
As sideman
With Ray Anderson • Big Band Record (Gramavision, 1994) with the George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band With Tim Berne • Visitation Rites (Screwgun), 1997) • Big Satan (Winter & Winter, 1997) • Please Advise (Screwgun, 1999) • The Shell Game (Thirsty Ear, 2001) • Science Friction (Screwgun, 2002) • The Sublime And (Thirsty Ear, 2003) • Souls Saved Hear (Thirsty Ear, 2004) • Electric and Acoustic Hard Cell Live (Screwgun, 2004) • Feign (Screwgun, 2005) • Pre-Emptive Denial (Screwgun, 2005) • Livein Cognito (Screwgun, 2006) • Yikes Too (Out of Your Head/Screwgun, 2025) With Nels Cline • Currents, Constellations (Blue Note, 2018) With Kris Davis • Good Citizen (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2010) • Capricorn Climber (Clean Feed, 2013) • Waiting for You to Grow (Clean Feed, 2014) With Mark Feldman • What Exit (ECM, 2006) With Ronan Guilfoyle • Hands (Portmanteau, 2015) With Ingrid Laubrock • Sleepthief (Intakt, 2008) • Anti-House (Intakt, 2010) • The Madness of Crowds (Intakt, 2011) • Strong Place (Intakt, 2013) • Zurich Concert (Intakt, 2014) • Roulette of the Cradle (Intakt, 2015) • Ubatuba (Firehouse 12, 2015) With Myra Melford • The October Revolution (Evidence, 1996) featured on one track With Liam Noble • Romance Among the Fishes (Basho, 2004) With Samo Salamon • Two Hours (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2006) • Almost Almond (Sanje, 2011) • Duality (Samo Records, 2012) With David Torn • Prezens (ECM, 2005) With Tom Varner • The Mystery of Compassion (Soul Note, 1992) • Martian Heartache (Soul Note, 1996) With Roseanna Vitro • Reaching for the Moon (Chase Music Group, 1991) • Softly (Concord Jazz, 1993) With Jane Ira Bloom • Modern Drama (Columbia, 1987) • Slalom (Columbia, 1988)
Identity
Identity
Tom Rainey is recorded with the occupation jazz musician. Classed in the genre avant-garde jazz. Recorded with the occupation drummer. Classed in the genre modern creative. Rainey worked at New York City. Recorded as having studied at Berklee College of Music and San Marcos High School.

Tom Rainey, jazz drummer; Picture taken in Jazz Club Unterfahrt, Munich/Bavaria
OhWeh

Tom Rainey, jazz drummer; Picture taken in Jazz Club Unterfahrt, Munich/Bavaria
OhWeh
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1957
Tom Rainey was born on 1 January 1957.
Primary material
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reference work
- “Tom Rainey”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2440028: Tom Rainey
General reference · Wikidata
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Studied at
1- Berklee College of MusicOrganisation
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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