Longtime Bay Area resident Wally Schnalle was born March 30, 1957, in San Jose, California. In 1984, Schnalle decided to unburden himself from the hectic world of his Silicon Valley job and pursue his dream of being a full-time jazz drummer. Since then, he has performed at major jazz festivals like San Francisco's Jazz in the CIty, Monterey Jazz Festival, and San Jose's Jazz and SoFA festivals. Club audiences Bay Area-wide have also been graced by performances from Schnalle's ensembles, from Yoshi's in Oakland, to Kuumbwa in Santa Cruz and beyond.
A talented journalist also, Wally serves as music editor for DRUM! Magazine, where his transcriptions of the playing of such drummers as Max Roach, Joe Morrello, and Dennis Chambers have served to enlighten and educate readers. Schnalle also teaches privately and, as a recipient of an Artist in Residence grant from the California Arts Council, with a percussion ensemble at San Jose's Lincoln High School.
