Asa Nero

Asa Nero was born with music in his bones. The son of saxophonist and Washington D.C. native Courtney Nero, he grew up listening to his father’s extensive CD collection, and developed an early connection to gospel, R&B, and jazz--especially hard bop. Asa taught himself to play drums starting around age 3, and began taking piano lessons at age 4. He was gigging in the D.C. area with his father around 8 years old, and was hired as a church musician before the 5th grade. In middle and high school, he studied drums and percussion with D.C. music scene staples Nasar Abadey and MSG Harold Summey (US Army Band, ret.), and in 2015, Asa was recruited to join the Blues Alley Youth Orchestra by its director, prolific bassist and educator Michael Bowie. As a long-time member of the Orchestra, Asa played notable D.C. venues such as the Kennedy Center and the legendary Blues Alley Jazz Club, as well as performing live on 89.3 WPFW FM.

​​Today, Asa continues to compose and perform in the DFW metroplex and in the Washington D.C. area while earning a Bachelor of Music degree in jazz drums at the internationally-acclaimed University of North Texas, studying under celebrated musicians Quincy Davis, José Aponte, and Ed Smith. His gigging credentials in and around the nation’s capital include performances at the DC Jazz Festival, Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, the National Cathedral, the Cosmos Club, the historic Howard Theatre, Takoma Station Tavern, and Mr. Henry's. Since coming to North Texas, Asa has broken into the DFW/Denton scene, performing at Scat Jazz Club, Steve's Wine Bar, and Harvest House.

Tags