Results for "Drums"

Bernard Purdie

Born: June 11, 1939

Bernard Purdie was born June 11, 1939 in Elkton, Maryland as the eleventh of fifteen children. Purdie began already as a six-year-old to bang out rhythms on improvised equipment. At 14 years of age he purchased his first real drum set and became the most important provider for the family - earning his pay with country and carnival bands. This "schooling" enabled Purdie to "feel my way into nearly every kind of music, 'cause I had to know all styles and was never afraid to try something new." Purdie moved to New York in 1960 after finishing high school and played with (among others), Lonnie Youngblood before landing his first hit with King Curtis

Matt Witek

Originally from upstate New York, Matt Witek is a Los Angeles-based drummer. After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2009, Witek furthered his studies by moving to Los Angeles to study under the tutelage of world-renown drummer Jeff Hamilton. Along with Hamilton’s mentorship, Matt completed a Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies on full scholarship at California State University Long Beach in 2012. Matt’s musical approach to drums has caught the attention of today’s most prolific musicians. He has toured with the John Pizzarelli Quartet, Graham Dechter Quartet, Larry Fuller Trio, Katie Thiroux Quartet and worked with several artists that include John Clayton, Ben Wolfe, James Morrison, Ken Peplowski, Ralph Moore, Scott Hamilton, Harry Allen, Bucky Pizzarelli, Larry Koonse, Anthony Wilson, Tony Monaco, Tamir Hendelman, Bill Cunliffe, Mikan Zlatkovich

Otis Brown III

Hackensack, N.J. native, drummer and composer Otis Brown III was destined for success in his field. Born not far from Rudy Van Gelder's legendary recording studio, Otis' mother was working as a vocal music teacher/choir director and his father a percussionist at the time of his birth. Hearing music from conception in this fertile, music rich, environment would prove to be invaluable for his future. Since his birth in NJ, Otis has traveled a path that has led to him being one of the most in demand, and well respected musicians in the world of music today. Expressing an early interest in music, Otis began his musical studies at the fertile age of 7

Michael Stephans

Born: June 9, 1945

Michael has performed and/or recorded with a wide array of jazz artists, including Bob Brookmeyer, Bennie Maupin, Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Greg Osby, Pharoah Sanders, Marc Copland, Drew Gress, Dave Stryker, Jim Ridl, Steve Varner, Zach Brock, Uri Caine, Marty Ehrlich, Charlie Byrd, Francois Moutin, Vic Juris, Tim Hagans, Clay Jenkins, Don Menza, Bob Sheppard, Theo Saunders, Chris Symer, Henry Robinett, Joe Gilman, Larry Koonse, Putter Smith, Phil Ranelin, Buddy Colette, Alan Broadbent, Bob Florence, Lynn Arriale, Bud Shank, John Patitucci, Karl Berger, and many others. He has also played with personalities as wildly diverse as The Rolling Stones, Cher, David Bowie, Shirley MacLaine, and Natalie Cole, to name a few. He currently leads a group with Dave Liebman (and sometimes Greg Osby), Marc Copland, and Drew Gress, called Quartette Oblique, and has been a long standing member of the Bennie Maupin Ensemble

Adrian d'Souza

In 1997 Adrian was offered the drummers seat in Roseanna Vitro's trio. Since then there has been no looking back. New York offered him a chance to study and play with some of the the best musicians in the Tri state area. In 1999, while gigging in Memphis, he met Peter Erskine at the University of Memphis and was quick to study with him. Adrian has shared the band stand with Roseanna Vitro, Eddie Gomez, Art Davis, Gary Bartz, Mark Soskin, Dave Kikoski, Ken Werner, John Hicks, Chieli Minucci and Ratzo Harris to name a few. He has recorded along side Roseanna Vitro, Eddie Gomez, Fred Hersch, Randy Brecker, and Chris Potter. His debut album 'Its About Time' produced by Paul Wickliffe, features Roseanna Vitro, Don Braden, Allen Farnham, Chieli Minucci and Bob Bowen. As a side man Adrian has recorded on albums by Roseanna Vitro, Special EFX, John Fedchock, Jon Lucien, Ann Callaway, Charles Pillow, Lao Tizer, Susan Greico, Paranoise and The Indica Project. Adrian performed with Al Jarreau, George Duke, Earl Klugh and Ravi Coltrane at the 2005 VH1 Jazz Masters, and has had successful performances in Slovenia with the 'Maribor Philharmonic Orchestra' featuring Roseanna Vitro

Mike Reed

Born: May 26, 1974

Mike Reed (b. Bielefeld, Germany May 26, 1974) is a musician, composer, bandleader and arts presenter based in Chicago. Over the last two decades he has emerged as a dominant force within Chicago’s diverse artistic community, both through the music he makes and the live events he produces. In addition to leading or co-leading several working bands, all rooted deeply in jazz and improvised music, he’s founding director of the Pitchfork Music Festival, the current programming chair of the Chicago Jazz Festival, and the owner and director of the acclaimed performing arts venue Constellation. He is a devoted cultural advocate committed to providing platforms for artistic expression unhindered by commercial pressures. In 2016 he also became the owner of the Hungry Brain, a cozy neighborhood tavern that’s been a fulcrum for live creative music and socially-driven public programs.

Eric Woolston

Eric Woolston is a recent arrival to the Toronto music scene. After completing his Honors Bachelor of Music degree in orchestral percussion from Wilfrid Laurier University where he studied percussion with Dave Campion and Michael Wood, Eric came to Toronto to continue studying and to build his performance and teaching career. Eric's first year in Toronto was spent as a part time student at Humber College where he studied jazz vibraphone with Mark Duggan and percussion with Mark Kelso. Currently Eric studies drum set privately with Jim Blackley and piano with Greg Dedenus. Eric is involved in numerous musical projects around Toronto

Guido May

Born: August 18, 1968

Born in 1968 in Bad Reichenhall/Germany he took classical piano lessons at age seven for about eight years.In 1983 he started to take lessons at the "Drummers Focus" drumming school in Munich for two years and attended several Jazz-workshops including Burghausen, Erlangen and Ingolstadt. After high school graduation in 1988 he moved to Munich for civil service work and had his first gigs with players like Roman Schwaller, Peter O'Mara, Peter Tuscher, Thomas Stabenow, Henning Sieverts, Evan Tate, Dusko Goykovich, Rick Keller, Johannes Enders, Roberto DiGioia, The Scales Brothers, Adrian Mears, Thomas Reimer, Helmut Kagerer, Steve McKenna, Barbara Dennerlein, Wolfgang Schmid, Joe Haider, Hermann Breuer, Joe Kienemann, and many others. In 1996 Roberto DiGioia recommended him for a recording with funk ikon Pee Wee Ellis, which included a European tour and the album "A New Shift", feat

Keefe Marzell

Born: October 13, 1970

Keefe Marzell and Vintage insist that the music they create have two crucial elements -- a spiritual connection and a high emotional content. On their debut album, DRAWN WINDOWS, they play smooth jazz like it is seldom heard by fusing it with an eclectic mix of various styles including funk, R&B, hip-hop, fusion and gospel. “The group is called Vintage,” explains Marzell, “because underneath the smooth jazz melodies, all of our music has an old-school funk feel. Everything we do is groove-based ��" not just rhythmic, but groovin’. In addition to that, most of the musicians on the album have played with contemporary Christian acts and gospel artists as well as in church, so there is a lot of spirituality in this music

Pietro Valente

Born: April 29, 1982

Pietro Valente was born in Padua, 29th A pril 1982 and start s to play drum at the age of 8. He got some experiences to perform since he was 15, with rock bands in the pub and also other places in Padua. He decided to become a professional musician was in 2001, after graduated the high school. When he matriculated at the Università della Musica di Roma (a famous Italian music college in Rome). Here he studied with some the best teachers in Italy: like Maurizio Dei Lazzaretti, Pietro Iodice, John Arnold, Davide Pettirossi, Gaetano Fasano and graduated in 2006 with jazz drum specialization and also got the best mark 10/10. During this period he played in some bands across north Italy: Manzoteam (founder), Sparks, Kids and True Voice (gospel choir). In 2004 he was hired as drum teacher at Centro Musicale Beethoven, where now he still teaches in the new modern music section: C.A.M.M In 2005 he was called from Veneto Jazz to be the assistant-translator of John Riley for the New School (New York) summer workshop in Bassano del Grappa. At the 2006 Umbria Jazz Summer Clinics he had been chosen, as best drummer, to perform at the 2006 Umbria Jazz Winter festival and few weeks later he was the only one drummer to win the scholarship at Siena Jazz Clinics. He played in many important clubs and playhouses: Teatro Regio di Torino(Turin), Palazzo del Popolo(Orvieto), Auditorium C.Pollini(Padua), Canrtina Bentivoglio(Bologna), Caffè Pedrocchi(Padua), Micca Club(Rome), Arteria(Bologna), Q lunge bar(Padua), Porsche Haus(Milan); and also in the important music festival like: Umbria Jazz Winter, Porsche Jazz Festival, Veneto Jazz, International Music Meeting, Vicenza Jazz, Parco Delta Jazz, River Film Festival. He has played: in the orchestra in the 2006 Porsche Jazz Festival, directed by Bruno Tommaso with guest Pietro Tonolo; in the Orchestra Italiana di Musica Leggerea directed by Diego Basso, also recording the TV program “Stelle e Note di Natale” televised the 29th december 2006 on RAI 2(the italian national tv) and in the Orchestra Giovanile del Veneto. Recently he is member of Marco Strano Syntax Quartet and plays with the U.S.A