This week, Joe Bergamini is back on the podcast. Joe maintains a diverse career as a drumming performer and educator. Enjoying various styles of playing, he is known for his progressive rock drumming in the bands Happy the Man and 4Front, and currently tours with The Doo-Wop Project. Based in the New York area, Joe has worked extensively on Broadway. In 2018, he held the drum chair for the Broadway production of Gettin’ the Band Back Together, and he has also performed at over 15 other shows including Movin’ Out, Jersey Boys, Rock of Ages, In the Heights, Beautiful (The Carole King Musical), Hamilton, The Lion King, Million Dollar Quartet, and others. Joe has also appeared on the first national tours of Movin’ Out, Jersey Boys and Beautiful, and with many major symphony orchestras including the Philly Pops and the Detroit, Toronto, Cincinnati, Nashville, Seattle, San Diego, Indianapolis and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras.

A best-selling drum set author, Joe has written authorized musical biographies with drumming legends including Neil Peart: Taking Center Stage (winner of Best Educational Product in the 2013 Modern Drummer Readers Poll), GADD: A Life in Time, COBHAM: The Drumming and Music of Billy Cobham, and Stewart Copeland: Drumming in The Police and Beyond. He is also the author of The Working Drummer’s Chart Book, Drum Techniques of Led Zeppelin, and several other books. As the Senior Drum Editor for Hudson Music since 2009, Joe has worked closely with many of the world’s greatest drummers, acting as editor on books with Steve Gadd, David Garibaldi, Steve Smith, Liberty DeVitto, Mark Guiliana, Tommy Igoe, Stanton Moore, Todd Sucherman, and many others. He is the co-founder, with his late teacher Dom Famularo, of Wizdom Media, an independent publishing company with books distributed by Alfred Music. Since 2015, Joe has been Education Consultant for Sabian, designing and directing the Sabian Education Network for drum teachers.

Recognized internationally as an educator, Joe has given hundreds of drum clinics in schools, retail stores, and conventions. He has appeared at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) multiple times, the Ultimate Drummers Weekend (Melbourne, Australia), the Cape Breton Drum Festival (Nova Scotia, Canada), KOSA (Vermont, USA), the Sonny Emory Drum Camp (Atlanta, USA), and has done two clinic tours for Tama Drums. He has been teaching privately at his own studio for over 30 years. Among Joe’s many private students who have gone on to pro careers is world-renowned jazz drummer Mark Guiliana. Joe proudly endorses Tama drums, Sabian cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, Evans drumheads, Latin Percussion, and Cympad.

Happy Birthday!

Happy 86th Birthday to Martin Cohen! Call it love at first sound. In 1956, when Latin Percussion founder Martin Cohen was 17, he wandered into the legendary New York nightclub Birdland, where vibraphonist Cal Tjader was leading a Latin-jazz band. “The music was so infectious that I have never lost my love for it,” Cohen says.

He subsequently started attending the Monday-night jam sessions at Birdland, headed up by Herbie Mann and featuring such Latin percussionists as Candido, Jose Mangual, and Chano Pozo. Although Cohen was an engineer, not a musician, he got the urge to participate.

“I wanted to get a pair of bongos,” he recalls, “because Jose Mangual had made the biggest impression on me. But I couldn’t find a pair of bongos because the U.S. had initiated an embargo of Cuba, and that’s where the good bongos, congas, and cowbells had always come from. So I decided to make my own.”

Cohen wanted to make his drums the traditional way, from a single block of wood. So he bought some blocks of mahogany from a sculpture supply store. Working from photographs he had taken of Johnny Pacheco’s bongos, Cohen took his blocks to a wood turner who machined them for him.

“That was the beginning of my learning process,” Cohen says. “He machined them on Friday, and by Monday they were a quarter of an inch smaller. I didn’t realize that you had to dry the wood first. So he had to insert a piece of wood to accommodate that quarter-inch change.”

Cohen ended up selling that pair of bongos, but he continued making bongos and putting them in stores on consignment. He maintained a day job as an engineer with a company that made medical equipment, but spent his nights and weekends making instruments and going to nightclubs to hear Latin music. -Read More

Happy Birthday to Casey Cangelosi! Casey is commonly hosted world-wide by educational institutions, music festivals, and educational seminars. Casey has been a visiting guest artist in Italy, Germany, Costa Rica, Mexico, Argentina, Croatia, Sweden, Taiwan, and widely across the U.S. at events including the The Midwest Clinic and PASIC Showcase Concerts. Casey is a regularly commissioned composer called the "Paganini of Percussion" and "The voice of a new generation". Casey holds music degrees from Rice University, The Boston Conservatory, and Utah State University. Casey is endorsed by Majestic, Mapex, Innovative Percussion, Zildjian, Grover Pro Percussion, Remo, and Beiner Bags.

Happy Birthday to José Montaña! José Born in Madrid (Spain) 1984, he started his studies at the age of 14 in the school of music Maestro Gombau (Madrid)

At the age of 16 he made his first debut in a series of flamenco festivals called "Los Almaizares” playing with Jose de Luna. One of his deep foundations is the Porrina Cajon family, friends since he was a child. He had the opportunity to learn from them and from the best cajón player and percussionist Israel Suarez "El Piraña". Also, Lucky Losada, Ramon Porrina & Sabú Porrina were very inspirational to him as percussionists. As he continued to develop in the Flamenco world he took Afro-cuban lessons with Miguel "Anga" diaz, The multi-percusionist Pepe Espinosa, The singer and percussionist Pedro "pedrito" Martinez, Jose Luis Quintana o"Changuito", Tata Guines , Giovanni Hidalgo and a lot more. He studied in Cuba with Chucho Valdes’ percussion player, Yaroldi Abreu, and with Adonis Panter, former Quinto player of the group Yoruba Andabo now director of Osain del monte.

The biggest inspiration for his music is the multi-instrumentalist and bass player Alain Perez (Paco de Lucia ́s Group) who is also his teacher and of course the Latin Jazz master Jerry Gonzalez! In the way of the most purest flamenco he studied in Amor de Dios (Flamenco School from Madrid) taking the rhythm from the most interesting part of flamenco...."the dance", And Developing that Into the CAJÓN...Starting to perform with the rhythmically virtuosos flamenco dancers like Alfonso Losa,Nino de los reyes,Juan de juan, Antonio y Manuel Reyes,Antonio Canales and much more.

Drawn by the purest forms of flamenco he studied at the legendary flamenco center Amor De Dios. He absorbed the rhythms of the flamenco footwork and developed that on the CAJÓN. He began to perform with rhythmic virtuosos and flamenco dancers such as Alfonso Losa, Nino de los reyes, Juan de juan, Antonio y Manuel Reyes, Antonio Canales and many more. He is also fluent in African drumming, Bata, Djembe, Dum Dum, Brazilian percussion, Afro-Peruvian and Hindu music leaving him the open space for Fusion. He has been playing with all this amazing artist of Jazz, Flamenco, Cuban Music, Pop and World music such as: Alain Perez, Richard Bona, Jorge Pardo, Chano Dominguez ,Antonio Rey, Antonio Serrano, Javier Limon, Antonio Canales, Jerry Gonzalez, Montse Cortés, Javier Massó Caramelo, Tino di Geraldo, Juan José Suárez “Paquete”, Enrique Heredia “El negri”, Israel Fernandez, Rafael Amargo, Rojas & Rodriguez, Cristobal Reyes & Juana Amaya, Amador Rojas, Agustin Carbonell “El Bola” ̈, Lara Bello, Sandra Carrasco, Dan Ben lior, Paco Cruz, Nino de los Reyes, La Talegona, David Paniagua y Sonia Olla, Javier Colina, Diego Guerrero, Rycardo Moreno,Aleph (Libano), Yelsy Heredia, Pete Lockett, Yuri Juarez, Carlos Sarduy, Marinah (Ojos de Brujo).

Now as a De Gregorio Cajón Artist is performing at all the best international Percussion Festivals like: Namm (California USA), Fiesta Del Tambor (Habana Cuba), XIV Seminari Cajón (Barcelona Spain), D52Ankara Drumfest (Turkey), Drumscene Magazine, London Drum Show (Great Britain), Singapore Drum Festival Ultimate weekend (Singapore), New York Masterclass at CCC Center for the performing arts, Australia Ultimate Drummers Weekend #AUDW (Australia), Perfoming with Eric Moore, Cris Coleman, Dave Elicht, John Riley, Greg Bisonette and many more!

Endorsed By Cajón DG, Istanbul Mehmet Cymbals & G-Drums He is currently Doing Workshops all around Spain.Europe and EEUU Since 2016 He has being doing Workshops around the globe Italy (Borgolavezzaro Milan, Torino Novara, Verbania, Rome), Germany (Köln Düsseldorf), Turkey (Ankara Istambul), Singapore, London, New York, Australia (Sidney, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane), Spain (Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Bilbao, Murcia), Encajonarte ,Primitivo, Escola, D’Akokan, France (Paris Studio bleu), South Korea (Seoul) At Cajon Center, Canadá At Studio Zuruba with PercuSoul (Quebec, Toronto) Gran Canaria Flamenco Estudio! “Cajón Afro” Masterclass Madrid Amazónico With José Montaña & Magerït Café Berlín 101BomBo! Masterclass NYC 2020, Masterclass Boston 2020.

Happy Birthday to Mike Dawson! Michael is Chief Creative Officer for Drum Factory Direct, a top online distributor of drum parts and accessories. He hosts a weekly podcast, Drum Candy, where he interviews world-famous drummers on a range of topics. Dawson was managing editor for Modern Drummer Publications, where he authored dozens of features, columns, and product reviews and edited several top-selling instructional books. Dawson also produced and co-hosted the acclaimed weekly show, The Modern Drummer Podcast With Mike and Mike, along with renowned online educator/clinician Mike Johnston. Dawson holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from West Virginia University and a master’s degree in music from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is associate professor in music journalism at the UArts and percussion instructor at WVWC. Before relocating to Pittsburgh, Dawson was a regular substitute musician for the drumset chair in the hit Broadway musical The Lion King.

Happy Birthday to Joel Tetzlaff! Joel has twenty-one years of marketing experience with Yamaha, the largest instrument manufacturer in the world. Providing depth of knowledge with a wide diversity of people, situations and business factors with an extensive background in creative development, customer engagement, promotion process, sales and dealer support.

Happy Birthday to Jordan Perlson! The career of drummer, percussionist, producer and educator Jordan has spanned about as wide a stylistic reach as one can imagine. Be it with jazz legends Seamus Blake, Gary Burton, David Liebman, or folk heroes Alison Brown and Missy Raines, or reggae giants Matisyahu and Trevor Hall, cutting edge music innovators like Becca Stevens, Snarky Puppy, Banda Magda and Jeff Coffin, progressive music with Adrian Belew, Echolyn or Kaki King, or fusion megastar Hiromi, Jordan has become a known force in these many circles. Credits on 100+ recordings, including national and international ad campaigns for Powerade, Netflix, The NY Rangers, Buick and more, Jordan is at home in the studio as he is on stage. Visit his Remote Drum Recording page to learn more about hiring him for your next project. Having taught at prestigious institutions such as Berklee College of Music, New York University and masterclasses all over the world, Jordan is a passionate educator. Visit his Distance Drum Coaching page to learn more about studying with him. An author of 2 books for Mel Bay publishing, Jordan’s books have been translated into several languages and are used the world round by teachers and students of many levels.

Happy Birthday to Rodney Barreto! Born in 1984, Rodney comes from a family with musical tradition. His second last name, the very well known Barreto, is synonymous with excellence in drumming in Cuba, as Rodney’s uncle is Julio César Barreto. Although Julio César was an enormous inspiration for his nephew, he was not the only family member that contributed to Rodney’s musical story. Rodney’s great uncle was a composer for Cuban singers, including the famous Benny Moré. From the early age of three, Rodney was totally involved in musical activities, and captivated as he watched his uncle practice, and took in the live shows during street carnivals.

At 9 years old, Rodney entered the elementary music school in Havana to study percussion. Although percussion students are not supposed to start with the drumset until the age of 18, Rodney had his first drum lesson at 11, and 5 years later, at the age of 16, he was already touring internationally as a professional drummer.

At the age of 17, Rodney joined one of the biggest and most prestigious Cuban salsa bands, Isaac Delgado’s Orchestra, with whom he toured with for five years.

It doesn’t matter if it is salsa, jazz, rock, hip-hop… Rodney Barreto is the owner of a very personal style and groove, that has made him one of the youngest and brightest drummers in Cuba.

Gig Alerts

The Fire Aid Benefit Festival will take place Thursday January 30th at both the Kia Forum (starting at 6pm) and the Intuit Dome (starting at 7.30pm). You can get more details here!

The Grammys will take place on Sunday February 2nd at 8pm EST. You can watch them on CBS or Paramount +, with the preshow being available to watch on YouTube.

Damon finished taping with the American Idol house band for the Hollywood Week episodes. This new season airs starting March 9th.

Damon will also be playing at the Brooklyn Bowl for the Divas of Soul, Galentine’s Edition with the Atomic Funk Project on Friday February 7th at 8pm.

Educational Spotlight

This week’s educational spotlight is the new Billy Cobham book that Joe wrote that is distributed through Hudson Music.

Iconic Recording

The iconic recording for this week was chosen by Joe. It is “Solarization” by Billy Cobham, from his ‘Total Eclipse’ album.

Music News

Snoop Dogg has lost over half a million followers across social media after his appearance at the Crypto Ball for Donald Trump’s inauguration. -Article

-Response to Snoop

A representative for MusiCares has confirmed the charitable arm of the Recording Academy has already distributed $2.2 million in wildfire relief to those impacted by the LA wildfires. -Article

Damon mentions getting insurance for your music related gear. This includes instruments, computers, hard drives, microphones, preamps, cameras, lights, and anything else related to your music making career. The two companies he mentions are Music Pro Insurance (who he uses) and Clarion Musical Instrument Insurance.

Joe Bergamini Interview

The song leading into the interview is, “Big Scary Monster” by the band, 4Front off the album ‘Malice in Wonderland’

Damon starts the interview with talking about hearing protection. This is the decibel meter app he has on his phone to tell when things are loud enough for ear plugs.

Joe mentions playing with the Doo Wop Project.

Joe talks about the plexiglass (aka drummer jail) that gets put up around drumsets, and sometimes percussionists.

Damon and Joe talk about playing with dynamics.

Joe talks in more detail about the new book that he has written and mentions the timeline of some of the other books he has written in the past.

Joe talks about the process of writing his books.

Shout-out to Terry Branham for some of the transcriptions.

Joe talks about the Hudson Music Digital Bookstore, and the App that compliments it. Shout-out to Rob Wallace and Paul Segal.

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Joe mentions friend of the show, Robby Ameen and his book Funkifying the Clave.

*BREAKING NEWS* Dave Weckl is on Joe’s radar for a possible next book in the future.

“Mozaik” from the album ‘Warning’ was the first album of Billy’s that Joe was introduced to.

Joe is a member of the Sabian Education Network and they have an annual mentorship award in honor of the late Dom Famularo.

Damon talks about being a multi-hyphenate and some of the jobs you can do in addition to playing and recording.

Joe talks about becoming a writer.

Damon talks about the evolution of getting information in the music space.

He also mentions the website, TappedIn.Live that tells who’s playing and where in NYC.

Joe talks about the proposals for new drum books, and how to submit properly.

Joe was on a panel at PASIC, with friends of the show, Sarah Hagan and Juels Thomas and (not yet a friend of the show) Eric Leiderman. He discusses what they talked about.

Shout-out to (friend of the show) Mark Powers and Eric C. Hughes.

Joe is up to 280 national parks and monuments out of about 460ish.