Drums/Percussion Faculty
Richie Barshay - Drums/Percussion
Listen to Richie:
"Solo"
Neighborhood: Flatbush/Ditmas Park, Brooklyn (will travel)
View interactive map.
Ages taught: ages 8-adult
Levels taught: beg-adv
Send us an email letting us know that you want to study with Richie.
Drummer and percussionist Richie Barshay, most noted as a member of the Herbie Hancock Quartet since 2003, has established himself as a prominent musical voice of his generation. Regarded as "a player to watch" by JazzTimes magazine, he maintains a busy international schedule with some of today's top artists including Hancock, The Klezmatics, Kenny Werner and Chick Corea among others. In September of 2004 he was named an American Musical Envoy by the U.S. State Department, along with the renowned Latin-Jazz ensemble Insight. Now based in New York City after 5 years on the Boston music scene, Richie began playing Jazz and Afro-Latin music during his youth and has expanded his focus to Indian rhythmic concepts and tabla, inspiring his 2005 recording debut "Homework" and the launching of his new band, The Richie Barshay Project. For more about Richie, visit www.RichieBarshay.com.
Kim Garey - Drums
Listen to Kim:
"Sugar"
NNeighborhood: Flatbush/Ditmas Park, Brooklyn (will travel)
View interactive map.
Ages taught: ages 5-adult
Levels taught: beg-adv
Secondary instruments taught: piano (from age 4)
Send us an email letting us know that you want to study with Kim.
Drummer Kim Garey has been has been studying, teaching, and performing on the instrument since age 10. She began to study music privately, then in her middle school and high school band and jazz band program, and then went on to study percussion and composition at Wichita State University. Kim graduated Summa Cum Laude with a double Bachelor's in Percussion Performance and Music Composition, and her Master's in Music Composition. She has studied with such drum greats as John Riley, Joe Morello, Michael Spiro, Matt Wilson, Steve Houghton, and Allison Miller. A native of Kansas, she moved to the New York City Metro Area in March of 2006 and has been busy performing since she arrived. Since moving to NYC, she has performed with legendary jazz masters such as Don Braden, Junior Mance, and Tim Price. She is performing regularly with the Tim Price/Ryan Anselmi Tenor Maddness Ensemble, the Gina Fox Band, Paprika, and the Ryan Anselmi Quartet. As well as performing, Kim has been teaching professionally for the past 10 years. She has taught private piano and drum lessons as well as group study. Her students have ranged from beginning to advanced with a large age range of 5-70 years! Kim is passionate about spreading music education and awareness and enjoys watching students' music appreciation and understanding grow through her lessons. For more about Kim, visit www.myspace.com/kimgarey.
Lou Grassi - Drums/Percussion
Listen to Lou:
"Chichi Rides the Tiger"
Neighborhood: Harlem, Manhattan (will travel)
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Ages taught: ages 8-adult
Levels taught: beg-adv
Send us an email letting us know that you want to study with Lou.
Drummer and percussionist Lou Grassi is internationally known for his work in both the traditional and the avant-garde jazz worlds. He has literally played from Ragtime to No-Time - he toured with Ragtime pianist Max Morath and is the leader of the Dixie Peppers. He has performed and/or recorded with a wide range of outstanding artists including Marshall Allen, Billy Bang, Borah Bergman, Rob Brown, Roy Campbell, The Copascetics, James Garrison, Charles Gayle, Burton Greene, Urbie Green, Gunter Hampel, Johnny Hartman, Fred van Hove, Joseph Jarman, Sheila Jordan, William Parker, Perry Robinson, Roswell Rudd, John Tchicai, and Mark Whitecage. Lou has toured extensively, performing throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Central America. He has been a featured artist at numerous international festivals including The Stork Music Festival, NYC; The Vision Festival, NYC; The Texaco New York Jazz Festival, NYC; The Rochester Jazz Festival, Rochester, NY; Summer's End Music Festival, Middletown, CT; Rive de Gier International Jazz Festival, France; Festas Lisboa, Portugal; CAMP 99, Tubingen, Germany; The Guelph Jazz Festival, Canada, Festival Frei Improvisierter Music, Dresden, Germany and the WIM Festival in Antwerp, Belgium. He has also performed at Banlieues Bleues Festival, Paris, France; Luneburg Jazz Nights, Germany; The Bell Atlantic Jazz Festival, NYC and The International Dixieland Festival of Dresden, Germany. Since 1978, He has been on the staff of New Jersey City University as a dance accompanist, and he has been a teaching artist for New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) since 2001. He continues to teach privately and is available for workshops and clinics. For more about Lou, visit www.LouGrassi.com.
Pete (La Roca) Sims - Drums
Neighborhood: UWS, Manhattan (will travel)
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Ages taught: ages 14-adult
Levels taught: int-adv
Send us an email letting us know that you want to study with Pete (La Roca) Sims.
A living legend, drummer Pete Sims started his career playing timbales in Latin bands, changing his name to Pete La Roca at the time. He played drums with Sonny Rollins (1957- early 1959) and had associations with Jackie McLean, Slide Hampton, the John Coltrane Quartet (where he was the original drummer in 1960) and Marian McPartland. La Roca led his own group (1961-62), was the house drummer at the Jazz Workshop in Boston (1963-64) and worked with Art Farmer (1964-65), Freddie Hubbard, Mose Allison, Charles Lloyd (1966), Paul Bley and Steve Kuhn among others. He led two impressive albums: the classic Blue Note record Basra with Joe Henderson and Bliss, a Douglas session (reissued on Muse) featuring Chick Corea and John Gilmore. For more about Pete, visit www.DrummerWorld.com.
Watch a classic video of Pete La Roca (external site).
Lorne Watson - Drums/Percussion
Listen to Lorne:
"The Return of Chickchi"
Neighborhood: Midtown, Manhattan (will travel)
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Ages taught: ages 8-adult
Levels taught: beg-adv
Secondary instruments taught: marimba
Send us an email letting us know that you want to study with Lorne.
Lorne Watson is an active performer with the percussion duo Loop 2.4.3 and a freelance percussionist in New York City. Past performances include appearances with the American Chorus at Carnegie Hall, Cate' at the Blue Note, Clogs at Brooklyn Academy of Music, and was a featured with Loop 2.4.3 as a guest artist with the Brooklyn Philharmonic. Currently Lorne is on the teaching roster for The Brooklyn Queens Conservatory of Music, The Brooklyn Arts Council, The Children's Museum of Art and Director of Education for The Lyric Chamber Music Society of New York. He has been an active teacher since 1991, and has published his own method book for beginners, "Three Dimensions". Lorne has been featured as a clinician performer at Cornell University, Michigan State University, Oklahoma City University, and Alma College. He relieved his Bachelor of Science in Percussion Performance and has a teaching certificate from Central Michigan University, where he studied with Robert Hohner. Lorne also studied privately with Jim Chapin, Joe Morello, and Alex Acuna. For more about Lorne, visit www.Loop243.com.
Pete Zimmer - Drums
Listen to Pete: "Down or Up"
(composed by Pete Zimmer)
Neighborhood: Astoria, Queens (will travel)
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Ages taught: ages 8-adult
Levels taught: beg-adv
Send us an email letting us know that you want to study with Pete Zimmer.
Pete Zimmer, a gifted and articulate drummer, composer, and educator, moved to Queens, New York in June of 2001 after his completion at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA. Upon his arrival in the Big Apple Mr. Zimmer quickly became recognized for his uncanny swing and propulsive authority; all while maintaining a very high sense of musicality when seated behind the drums. These attributes, along with his constant professionalism, brought Zimmer to perform or record with a fine array of artists including: George Garzone, Joel Frahm, Jeremy Pelt, Michael Rodriguez, David Wong, Dennis Irwin, Rick Germanson, Randy Napoleon, Michael Karn, Julius Tolentino, Gene Perla, Tom Kennedy, Wayne Escoffery, Jaleel Shaw, Dan Nimmer, among many others. In May of 2004, Pete Zimmer launched his record label, TippinŐ Records, and on September 7th, 2004 released his first album as a leader, "Common Man," which was declared "an impressive debut" by the Philadelphia Daily News. Since that time, Zimmer has released three additional leader recordings featuring many of his own compositions that has brought him much critical acclaim worldwide. In addition to being an active performer, Zimmer is dedicated to educating and developing the talents of students. Mr. Zimmer has conducted educational clinics at many Universities throughout the USA including Indiana University, Ohio State University, Northern Illinois University, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, in addition to private lessons of various ages and levels. For more about Pete, visit www.PeteZimmer.com.
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