Clemens Grassmann

I love jazz because it gives you the opportunity to express your deepest emotions and feelings without any words. Activating all senses, listening to your surroundings and being aware of who and what you are in the moment creates an environment that takes your mind and body to a different place for a while once you embrace and let go. It teaches you how to share, live in the present and become one with the people around you. You overcome your ego to become part of something greater. I was first exposed to jazz in my High School Big Band. My first steps were tremendous fun and set me on the path I would eventually pursue to become a dedicated professional musician. It was through my former music teacher that I started listening to and learning jazz which led me to the reception of a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music where I received the Armand Zildjian Percussion Award and met and studied with masters and mentors such as Terri Lyne Carrington, Ralph Peterson Jr., Billy Kilson, Kenwood Dennard, Danilo Pérèz and Joe Lovano, whose influence in shaping my art, craft and personality is deeply rooted in my mind and beliefs and reveals itself whenever I connect with music.