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Chris DeRosa
Chris is a Brooklyn-based professional freelance drummer/producer/composer.
About Me
Chris DeRosa - Drummer • Producer • Composer • Writer
Chris DeRosa is a professional freelance drummer, producer, composer, and writer based in
New York City. His experience has taken him to over 55 countries, performing and recording
across a vast range of musical styles - from jazz, rock, funk, and soul to Latin, Afro-Cuban,
reggae, gospel, and world rhythms.
Born in New Haven, Connecticut and raised in nearby Guilford, Chris began playing drums at a
young age, captivated by the late-night ECM recordings he heard on WPKN radio. He earned a
scholarship to attend the Educational Center for the Arts (ECA) High School and, at 15, studied
with renowned University of North Texas drum professor Ed Soph during Soph’s sabbatical in
Connecticut.
By his senior year, Chris was performing with The Five Satins, opening for Chuck Berry at
Nassau Coliseum. His first steady professional gig came at 15 with the New Haven top-40
band Horizon, followed by his first recording session with Neapolitan singer Benny Del Mare on
the album Ménage à Te at Trod Nossel Studios. That early recording led to a series of concerts
and outdoor festivals throughout Connecticut with L’anima, Benny’s backing band.
Chris continued his education at both Berklee College of Music (where he received the Buddy
Rich Jazz Masters Scholarship) and the University of Miami, where he earned a degree in Studio
Music and Jazz Performance and received the Bowman Ashe Award for artistic and academic
excellence. While in Miami, the rhythms of Jamaica and Cuba became deep influences on his
sound and stylistic development.
His résumé reads like a who’s-who of modern music. Chris has performed or recorded with
Deborah Harry & Chris Stein (Blondie), Rick Ross, Cee Lo Green, Michael McDonald, H.R. (Bad
Brains), Nadia Ali, Melba Moore, Tony Scherr (Norah Jones, Al Di Meola), Raul Midón, Ivan Julian
(The Voidoids), Phil Perry, The Five Satins, Magnet (replacing Moe Tucker of The Velvet
Underground), and many more.
On Broadway and in theatre, Chris has performed in Oh! Calcutta!, Grease, Songs of Paradise,
and The Mikado, and has collaborated with producers Giancarlo Vulcano (30 Rock), Daniel Rey
(Ramones, White Zombie), Jon Brion (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Jose Luis Pardo
(Los Amigos Invisibles), and Stuart Epps (Elton John, Led Zeppelin), among others.
In the world of modern dance, Chris has performed, composed, or accompanied work for Gus
Solomons jr, Ron Brown/Evidence, Elisa Monte Dance, David Dorfman Dance, Mark Morris
Dance Group, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Paul Taylor Dance Company, among
others.
He has also performed with numerous church communities (including Trinity Grace, Redeemer,
Shekinah Glory Worship, Resurrection Brooklyn, The Journey, Infinity, Citilights, Emmanuel,
Grace Redeemer, and Plymouth Church) and has taught or lectured at Marymount Manhattan
College (Adjunct Professor), NYACK School of Music (Guest Lecturer), and NYU Tisch School of
the Arts (Staff Musician and Guest Lecturer).
Chris’s performances have been featured on WPKN, WXPN’s World Café, WDST’s Sessions,
Good Morning Cairo!, and on international tours for the U.S. State Department and Jazz Cultural
Exchange programs in Egypt and China. He has been featured in Modern Drummer, DRUM!,
Hudson Music, Percfest, and The Black Page Magazine.
His full discography is available on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6uhdiFaJrOPIg2mwIFyJSl
Chris is a member of BMI, The Harry Fox Agency, and the alumni associations of The University
of Miami and Berklee College of Music.
He is endorsed by Vic Firth, Sabian, Evans, Brady Snare Drums, Audix, MOTU, Roland, KickPort,
Cympad, DrumClip, and RhythmTech Percussion.
In addition to his work as a performer and composer, Chris DeRosa is also a contributing writer
for All About Jazz, where he shares insights and reviews of artists, performances, and the
global jazz scene.
Read his published articles here:
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/articles-by-chris-derosa
