Mauricio Zottarelli

Brazilian born, New York City-based drummer/composer Mauricio Zottarelli has been on the forefront of the Jazz, Latin and Brazilian music scenes for many years. Called a “superb drummer” by JazzTimes magazine, Zottarelli comes from a musical family and was born in Santos, SP, Brazil, but grew up in Rio Claro, SP in a highly musical environment.

His first few years as a professional musician consisted of many performances throughout his native country as well as studio and session work with different artists and bands. At the same time, he pursued a degree in Computer Science, and concluded his studies in 1997. Mauricio moved to the U.S. in 1999 after winning a scholarship award to study at Berklee College of Music, in Boston, MA. He majored in Film Scoring, Performance and Arranging, and graduated from the prestigious college in 2002. Mauricio is a critically acclaimed and award-winning drummer and artist. Since his move to New York City in 2006, he has become one of the most sought after drummers on the scene. Zottarelli is credited in more than 70 albums so far in his career, and has worked and shared the stage with some of the most important and notable artists of today, crossing over many musical styles.  Some of them are: Hiromi, Eliane Elias, Marc Johnson, Prasanna, Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin, Esperanza Spalding, Keiko Matsui, Richard Bona, Paquito D’Rivera, Joe Lovano, Richard Galliano, Chico Pinheiro, Cláudio Roditi, Joe Locke, Geoffrey Keezer, Mike Pope, Eldar, Ivan Lins, Carmen Souza, Chuck Loeb, Rosa Passos, Dom Salvador, Jovino Santos Neto, Nilson Matta, Toninho Horta, Oriente Lopez, Filó Machado, Gustavo Assis Brasil, Hendrik Meurkens, and many others.

Also very active as a bandleader and composer/arranger, Mauricio co- leads and collaborates with several projects, such as the Dig Trio - with guitarist Gustavo Assis Brasil - which released its first CD in 2003 to great reviews from critics and audiences alike. In 2009, Mauricio released his first solo album, entitled 7 Lives, which includes several of his own compositions and it features a unique mix of Brazilian jazz, fusion, and jazz. The incredible artists performing on the album are: Gustavo Assis Brasil (guitars), Itaiguara Brandão (bass), Milene Corso (vocals), Brandi Disterheft (bass), Dom Salvador (piano), Oriente Lopez (piano, flutes), Esperanza Spalding (bass), Cidinho Teixeira (piano) and Rodrigo Ursaia (sax).

In 2011 Zottarelli released MOZIK - a collaboration with pianist Gilson Schachnik and also featuring Gustavo Assis Brasil, Fernando Huergo and Yulia Musayelyan. The album has garnered praises from many important jazz/music publications such as Downbeat magazine and All About Jazz. The prestigious Jazz Station Blog, written by journalist/producer Arnaldo deSouteiro, considered MOZIK the #1 new talent of 2011 and included the CD in their TOP 15 best of 2011. The blog also listed Mauricio in their Top 10 Drummers Of The Year list four years in a row, from 2011 to 2014.

“(…)the stupendous drummer Mauricio Zottarelli…”  Grupo Notícias on-line (The News Group on-line) – Spain / Latino América Exterior (on-line) – Spain

“(…) Featuring Zottarelli’s many different rhythmic and compositional skills, this album is high-quality Brazilian jazz”. H.Sugita - Swing Journal – JAPAN - review of the CD “7 Lives”

“Outstanding – Much more than drums,cymbals, and drumsticks. 4 stars.” L. Nobile - Newspaper “O Estado de São Paulo”, Brazil - review of the CD “7 Lives”

“Ruzza is aided immensely throughout by her co producer, the superb Brazilian drummer Mauricio Zottarelli.” JazzTimes.com – review about Amanda Ruzza’s CD "This is what happened"

“(…)the stupendous drummer Mauricio Zottarelli…”  Grupo Notícias on-line (The News Group on-line) – Spain / Latino América Exterior (on-line) – Spain

“(…) Featuring Zottarelli’s many different rhythmic and compositional skills, this album is high-quality Brazilian jazz”. H.Sugita - Swing Journal – JAPAN - review of the CD “7 Lives”

“Outstanding – Much more than drums,cymbals, and drumsticks. 4 stars.” L. Nobile - Newspaper “O Estado de São Paulo”, Brazil - review of the CD “7 Lives”

“Ruzza is aided immensely throughout by her co producer, the superb Brazilian drummer Mauricio Zottarelli.” JazzTimes.com – review about Amanda Ruzza’s CD "This is what happened"

"(….) An excellent example of how a record from a great musician should be done; on which the creativity, good taste, and musicality are all highly valued. And for whoever wants it, there is the technical aspect too—always applied for the benefit of the music.” V. Rocha, Modern Drummer Magazine, BRAZIL - review of Mauricio' s CD “7 Lives”

“Drummer Zottarelli is remarkable, practically providing a clinic on Brazilian drumming and percussion.” Latin Beat Magazine - LMBO.com – review of the CD "MOZIK"

“Zottarelli delivers a splendidly developed, variegated drum solo.”  Scott Albin – www.jazz.com - from CD review of Marc Rossi Group’s Hidden Mandala

"(...)the listener is struck by the vibrancy, joy and energetic enthusiasm generated by this group. Centering it all is Zottarelli's melodic and rhythmic drumming which is propulsive, without being excessive, and which drives the song, while also enhancing it." B. Walseth, www.jazzchicago.net - review of the CD '7 Lives' “Mauricio Zottarelli is a hot new talent to watch out for!”  J. Stevenson – www.ejazznews.com2)

“(…)Mauricio Zottarelli, one of the new promising brazilian drummers…”  www.lasprovincias.es - Valencia, Spain / www.valencianoticias.com - ValenciaNews (Spain)

“Roditi’s latest drummer, the brilliant Mauricio Zottarelli gives notice here that he is a force to reckon with as he shades the piece with earthy tones and polyrhythms. Elsewhere…Zottarelli shows how sensitive he can be.” R. da Gama – Latin Jazz Network – review about Claudio Roditi’s CD "Bons Amigos"

“The percussion is tight and often simply insane! (in a good way)… the intense percussive element (great job Mauricio)...” R. Amador – bassmusicianmagazine.com – review about Amanda Ruzza’s CD "This is what happened"

“ Zottarelli, who wrote seven out of the eleven songs, is not only a gifted composer but also a great producer. A drummer whose playing is incredibly musical and at the same time propulsive, whose kicks and breaks are always directly related to the purpose of the song. If you have seen Zottarelli live, you will understand what I mean by that, and the joy of playing that this drummer emanates.” Silvano Gerosa, Jazz n' More magazine, SWITZERLAND, September 2009 - review of 7 Lives

"The drummer Zottarelli, in particular, was perfectly in synch with Elias throughout the night, and ripped off several tasty solo interludes.” Chris Gibson – from www. Broadwayworld.com (St. Louis) review of Eliane Elias’ Concert in St. Louis, MO – Jan23rd, 2010

“ The dynamic Brazilian drummer Mauricio Zottarelli(…)" M. Jackson – Downbeat Magazine

“First and foremost, the amazing Brazilian drummer/percussionist, Mauricio Zottarelli, performed a splendid job in meshing genuine Brazilian musical concepts with Bebop jazz.” D. R. Johnson – San Diego County News’ Washington, D.C. - review about Claudio Roditi’s CD "Bons Amigos"

Tthe subtle finesse of drummer and percussionist Mauricio Zottarelli simply seals the deal onone of the finer pieces of jazz-Indian fusion you may find floating around cyber-space.” @Critical Jazz - review about Marc Rossi’s CD "Mantra Revealed"

"Zottarelli’s drumming is not just running through different rhythms, rather they serve the song. He accompanies the songs with great feeling. A convincing debut album from a drummer you certainly should know.” www.jazzdrummerworld.com, September 2009 - review of 7 Lives

"Mauricio Zottarelli is a machine! Keep your eyes on him."  DRUM PRO Magazine

“a lively rhythm section….. Both in time and soloing, Mauricio gives us a goodly blast of heat.” Gapplegate music review – review about Mauricio’s new project MOZIK

“Particularly impressive is Zottarelli’s solo turn atop Assis-Brasil’s beautiful complementary chords.”  W. Kolosky – www.jazz.com - on Gustavo Assis-Brasil live DVD/CD

"Mauricio is one of today’s most distinctly musical drummers."  Music Watch - UK

“Zottarelli's drumming is very sensitive and at the same time very dynamic. Plus his solos show incredible speed and technique. (…) I am deeply satisfied with the music and the musicians in this album. The tunes are great and the playing is wonderful. I give it 5 stars.” Jazz n’ Drummer Blog, JAPAN, 2009, blog.goo.ne.jp review of 7 Lives

“Drummer Mauricio Zottarelli makes the most out of his economical four- piece kit.”  Glenn Astarita – www.ejazznews.com - on Gustavo Assis-Brasil live DVD/CD

"Zottarelli shows us that he can adapt efficiently to any musical style with amazing ability."  Metronome Magazine - Boston, MA

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