Editing Don Alias (section)

{{Short description|American drummer (1939–2006)}}{{Copy edit|date=December 2024}}{{Refimprove|date=August 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Don Alias
| image             = 
| caption           = Charles "Don" Alias Playing alongside Miles Davis, Keith Jarret, Michael Henderson, Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, Gary Bartz, and, James Forman.
| image_size        = 
| birth_name        = Charles Alias
| alias             = 
| birth_date        = {{birth date|1939|12|25|}}
| birth_place       = [[New York City]], New York, U.S.
| death_date        = {{death date and age|2006|03|28|1939|12|25}}
| death_place       = New York, New York, U.S.
| instrument        = Percussion
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Jazz]]|[[jazz fusion]]|[[Latin jazz]]}}
| occupation        = Musician
| years_active      = 1960s–2006
| website           = [http://donalias.com Official website]
}}

'''Charles''' "'''Don'''" '''Alias'''{{efn|surname pronounced ah-LIE-ahs}} (December 25, 1939 – March 28, 2006)<ref name=":0"/> was an American jazz percussionist.

Alias was best known for playing [[congas]] and other [[hand drum]]s. He was also a capable [[drum kit]] performer. He played drums on the song "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" from trumpeter [[Miles Davis]]'s album ''[[Bitches Brew]]'' (1969) when neither [[Lenny White]] nor [[Jack DeJohnette]] was able to play the [[marching band]]-inspired rhythm requested by Davis.{{efn|see the notes for ''The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions'' (1998)}} He also played drums and percussion on the [[Joni Mitchell]] live album ''[[Shadows and Light (Joni Mitchell album)|Shadows and Light]]''.

Alias performed on hundreds of recordings and was best known for his associations with [[Miles Davis]] and saxophonist [[David Sanborn]]. He also performed and recorded with artists such as [[Weather Report]], [[Joni Mitchell]], [[Herbie Hancock]], [[the Brecker Brothers]], [[Jaco Pastorius]], [[Pat Metheny]], [[Nina Simone]], and many others.