Jim Blackley

James David Blackley (born 1927 in Edinburgh) was a jazz-focused drumkit teacher.

Blackley's first publication, Syncopated Rolls for the Modern Drummer, was called a “Musical Gem” by Elvin Jones. It remained in print for over forty years. His next work, The Essence of Jazz Drumming, was proclaimed “Percussive Wisdom” by Down Beat magazine.

Blackley lived and taught in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, offering monthly sessions to Canadian students and 10-day master classes to professional musicians from around the globe. He died July 16, 2017.

His students have gone on to play or record with musicians such as Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Paul McCartney, Sting, and Annie Lennox.