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Steve Pemberton
About Me
Jazz drummer/percussionist Steve Pemberton has gained an international
reputation as an incredibly versatile and sensitive musician. Looking
at his background, it becomes obvious that he is constantly
reinventing himself, refusing to be pigeonholed as a single-faceted
artist.
Graduating Summa Cum Laude from the prestigious Berklee College of
Music, he then began a world-hopping career, performing in concert and
on television throughout Europe, North & South America and Asia. Most
recently Steve held the position as jazz drumset specialist & utility
percussionist with the prestigious Boston Pops Orchestra, and can
still be seen on many of their A&E and PBS Evening at Pops TV
broadcast reruns, some under the baton of film composer and conductor
John Williams. Prior to his three-year association with the Pops, he
held down the drum chair and was featured as a member of ten-time
nominated and two-times Grammy Award winner Peter Nero's Trio for
sixteen years. Some recent performance highlights include Patti Page's
Grammy Award winning CD for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance,
Patti Page - Live at Carnegie Hall, recording and live performances
with some of LA's world class jazz artists including Bill Watrous, Tom
Scott and Pete Christlieb, and a stint with the Los Angeles
Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl for a Henry Mancini tribute. He has
worked with over 125 orchestras worldwide, including Chicago, San
Francisco, St. Louis, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and the National
Symphony.
Prominent jazz artists that Steve has performed, recorded and/or
toured with include Mel Torme, Grover Washington, Jr., Doc Severinsen,
the Count Basie and Quincy Jones Orchestras, John Pizzarelli, and the
New York Voices. He has also collaborated with artists as diverse as
Patti Austin, Jeffrey Osborne, Diahann Carroll, Vic Damone, Ray
Charles, Johnny Mathis, Melissa Manchester, the Canadian Brass, Marvin
Hamlisch, the Swingle Singers, Skitch Henderson, Kathie Lee Gifford,
Frankie Avalon, Shirley Jones, Jerry Vale, Maureen McGovern, Peabo
Bryson, Crystal Gayle, Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Nell Carter, Margaret
Whiting, Byron Stripling, Pattie Darcy Jones, The Smothers Brothers
and even The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. TV credits include performances
on HBO, CBS, ABC, A&E and PBS, in addition to many jingles and
TV/radio spots. In addition, Mr. Pemberton has also had the privilege
of performing at the White House for Presidents Bill Clinton, George
Bush (Sr.), Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford.
Mr. Pemberton also maintains an active professional life where he
resides in Los Angeles, as a performer, educator, contractor, composer
and arranger. He can be found working on the stages and in the studios
of Southern California, being heard on feature films such as
Cinderella Man (Universal) and Bewitched (Sony/Columbia). In
addition, Steve still finds time to tour, traveling the world giving
concerts and offering clinics for percussion manufacturers Zildjian
Cymbals, Vic Firth Drumsticks & Mallets and REMO Drumheads &
Percussion Products. He has been invited as an adjudicator, guest
clinician and consultant for various performing arts programs,
including the NARAS Grammy in the Schools program and Philadelphia's
Jazz in the Schools program, and has been asked to perform at
numerous national music conventions and leading music universities.
His skills as a published composer of percussion music have led to his
work being premiered and performed at such institutions as the
Interlochen Arts Academy, New England Conservatory of Music,
University of Miami and the Percussive Arts Society's International
Convention (PASIC).
Mr. Pemberton's musical approach to the drums has been noted in many
press reviews. The Washington Post hailed his show-stopping solo at
the Kennedy Center, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote,
Pemberton's solo was an artistic exploration of timbre and
articulation at soft and softer dynamics. Other reviews have noted
drummer Pemberton maintained interest through all of his turn,
exploring every resource of his instrument from rim to skins. He also
managed some delicate brush work..., Pemberton used effective
rhythms, varying tone colors and dynamics to create an enjoyable solo,
so unlike most percussionists who rely on maniacal pounding to elicit
a reaction from the audience..., Pemberton proved to be a
percussionist in the mold of Buddy Rich.