Results for "Andy Schmidt"

Andy Schmidt

Born: 1960

I grew up in Milltown, NJ, with Grammy winner DAVID KIKOSKI as we have been good friends since 1st grade! His Dad taught me guitar in 3rd grade and his Dad played every instrument you can imagine! (piano, organ, guitar, drums, accordion, flute, clarinet, sax, and even the cow bell) I studied Music Theory in HS and again at Rutgers (Livingston College)! In my 1st drum class in 1980 with Freddy Waits, I was lucky to be sitting just 3 feet away from Papa Jo Jones as he performed one of his famous Hi-Hat solo's! What a great surprise! Freddie had his little 45rpm record player and played "Love is a Many Splendored Thing", and then after one listen, instructed all of us to go sit on his drums and play it! NAILED IT! Freddie also played "The Scene is Clean" and loved Clifford Brown, Max Roach and Sonny Rollins! I am a guitar player primarily but was lucky that I had a very talented brother who had a nice Ludwig set of drums at home for me to practice on! We played in cover bands in all the central NJ bars in the early 80's! After 33 years as a social worker at a NJ youth correctional facility, I am getting back into gigging and recording! My latest recordings are on YOUTUBE as I got tracks from Randy Brecker, Seamus Blake (Roger Waters), Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel), Todd Sucherman (Styx), Jerry Marotta (Peter Gabriel), and Trey Gunn (King Crimson)!!!  Seamus is a monster on the sax as he now tours with Roger Waters starting in 2022!!!  I'd love to get my music into a good FILM!!!