简介
Ken’s recording and touring credits are extensive. He keeps a tight schedule and tries to balance gigs for studio session work and live performances. In the live arena, he’s performed all around the United States, Canada and throughout Europe. In the studio, he’s also a “first-call” session drummer for scores of diverse artists. To date, he’s performed and/or toured with such artists as The Victoria Warne Band, Mark Egan, Ronnie Earl, Bill Turner (guitarist for Bill Haley and the Comets), Crosscurrents, David Mann Calvin Hill, Danny Gottlieb, Big Jeff’s Middle Sized Band, Alan Swartzberg, Pete McCann, Gil Goldstein, Virginia Mayhew, Dem Brooklyn Bums, Vic Juris, Virginia Mayhew, Ken Wessell, Billy Eric, David Mullen, Asylum , Racing 8 and Bed Of Nails (among others.) Ken has also played on several commercial advertising jingles, including recordings for Kellogg’s and Coca Cola. Though he’s had considerable studio and live work as a “hired gun” with other artists, Ken has recorded some even-more impressive albums to his own credit. These albums visit several genres from Blues to Jazz, Rock to Fusion (and everything in between). His time is solid, technique is flawless, and his style is fluid and tasteful. Ken’s albums include “Tomorrow’s Another Day” (1996) “Through The Gate” (1999), and “Eye To Eye” (2002, Tripping Tree Music.) and Drumspeak 2007 When he’s not in the studio or on stage, he’s usually teaching a student, or hard at work in the practice room of his Clifton New Jersey (United States) home. Ken is a full-time drumming instructor at Ritchie’s Music (in nearby Rockaway, New Jersey), where he manages to juggle a roster of more than fifty weekly students. Ken is a dedicated and persistent teacher, and tries to impart his experience to students of all ages and ability levels, pushing their personal limits toward achievement. Ken also finds time to perform clinics and workshops around the United States. While he teaches, he has dedicated himself to life-long learning. A current student of master jazz drummer Joe Morello, the legend has become a mentor and friend to Ken. Ken has also had the opportunity to study with such seasoned pros as Kenwood Dennard and Zak Danziger. Ken also attributes much of his tasteful, solid and graceful style to the influences of Danny Gottlieb, Ian Paice and Cozy Powell. Ken has been featured in Modern Drummer and Drum! magazines and his work has been reviewed by countless print and internet media sources all around the world. He was featured in a book by Stacy DeBroff called Sign Me Up! (Simon & Schuster, 2004) as a drum education expert, and is currently hard at work on his first drum instruction book, due outin 2008.. Being influenced by composers such as Steve Reich, Terry Riley, John Luther Adams, Fred Frith, and Evelyn Glennie, as well as traditional Burundi music, Ken composed this contemporary 4 part work and played all instruments. There are udu drums, kalimbas, and djembe from Africa, gongs, cymbals, glasses of various thickness, rainsticks, guitars, mallet instruments, water jugs, and even a coffee grinder to add to the many textures and themes of Drumspeak