John DiGiovanni

Throughout his busy and productive career, John DiGiovanni has been a highly versatile drummer who is well known for uplifting every musical situation in which he appears. His new group, the Kombu Combo, gives him an opportunity to play a colorful brand of modern jazz, perform fresh new music and creative transformations of standards, and to set the direction of his own band.

John DiGiovanni was born in Long Island , New York . “ My parents were not big on music so whatever I heard early on was by chance. I started on guitar when I was six but after two years I was inspired like so many others to play the drums after seeing Ringo on the Ed Sullivan Show. As soon as I began on the drums, I knew that it was my true voice. ” In addition to playing drums with his school marching band, John also learned bass and French horn.

John remembers first hearing jazz records at his aunt's house and also when his older sister brought home John Coltrane's Crescent from college. “ At 16 I was listening to the Rolling Stones and the Grateful Dead. But hearing Miles Davis ' Bitches Brew was the gateway for me into jazz. From there I started listening to Tony Williams Lifetime, Mahavishnu, and Chick Corea, getting into jazz through the fusion door.”

Becoming a professional musician as a teenager, John worked with the popular jam band Snakegrinder for six years. During this period of time he began studying privately and has since learned from such influential teachers as Kenwoord Dennard, John Riley, Joe Morello, Bud Kelly, Jim Chapin, Boysie Lowrey and Carl Mottola.

After leaving Snakegrinder, John DiGiovanni picked up a wide variety of experiences performing with many different types of bands. He worked with a disco group, toured the country with circus bands, played country/folk rock music with Sin City for five years, rockabilly with The Bullets, fusion with Centrepeace for another five, gigged with the horn party band Red Hot & Blue off and on for a decade, played blues with Wanamaker Lewis and Garry Cogdell, and propelled such groups as Rockett 88, Group Therapy and The Little Big Band. In addition, he had formerly worked with the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra as a tympanist and is currently the section leader, playing all types of percussion.

The drummer ' s eclectic musical activities have continued up to the current time. “ I have played with tons of blues bands and rock groups. These days, in addition to Kombu, I work with the Billy Penn Project, a singer/songwriter type of band. With a couple of other members from that band I also play with jazz singer Rose Hudson, and I have continued working with Garry Cogdell and the Complainers. I also play with Libby McDowell (we recently did a CD), I made a recording with singer/songwriter Eric Brighton and recorded with Lili Anel a few years ago (that recording, Dream A a gain, was recently re-released in Europe). I enjoy backing up singer/songwriters who are performing original material. It gives me an opportunity to be creative. ”

John DiGiovanni, who has also worked as an important recording engineer and a record producer, has been playing jazz more often in recent years. He books jazz at Gallucio ' s , a venue in Wilmington , Delaware , every Thursday night. Due to him hearing a lot of talented musicians and wanting to stretch himself, he formed Kombu Combo. In addition to John, the quintet is comprised of four of the best musicians from the Wilmington , Delaware area: saxophonist Frank McKitty, vibraphonist Norm Dorrell, guitarist Sean Holz and bassist Bob Colligan . “ I pooled together talents who I thought would make a really good combination. W e worked out a repertoire that ranges from Horace Silver and Miles Davis to Robert Palmer and Frank Zappa, plus our originals. A lot of times jazz is played just for jazz lovers and musicians. I wanted to have a band that will include the audience in the experience. We play songs that are recognizable and accessible while still playing creative jazz. ” Kombu Combo is currently in the process of recording their debut CD.

Recently, John DiGiovanni achieved two of his earlier goals, performing at the big stage of the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival (with Terell Stafford in a Clifford Brown cover band.) and at the Grand Opera House in Wilmington . For the future he looks forward to continuing to play a wide range of music both with his band Kombu Combo and in any situation where his impressive musical talents can help raise the bandstand. Show less