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Dave Weckl is one of the most respected and
talked about drummers on the scene today. In a very short space of time, he has gained a
reputation amongst his fans and peers as one of the very finest musicians in contemporary
music.
Born in St. Louis Missouri, January 8th, 1960,
to a mother who loved music and a father who played the piano for fun, Dave started
playing drums at age 8. During his high school period he received many awards from the
NAJE (National Association of Jazz Educators) for his outstanding performances in his high
school's competition winning jazz band, and was involved with numerous local groups from a
very early age while studying with St. Louis area teachers Bob Matheny and then Joe
Buerger*. At age 16 he began to work professionally with local pop and jazz groups.
He moved to the east coast in 1979 to study music at the University of Bridgeport in
Connecticut. While playing the club scene in New York City with a band called Nite Sprite,
Dave started to receive accolades from established studio musicians such as Steve Kahn,
Michael Brecker, and especially the great drummer Peter Erskine. It was Peter who
recommended Dave for his first 'big gig' in town with a group called French Toast, later
the Michel Camillo band, which has been recorded quite extensively over the years. From
this group bassist Anthony Jackson recommended Dave for the prestigious Simon and
Garfunkel reunion tour in 1983. After this tour it was not long before he was regularly
being called for radio and TV jingles, sound track sessions, and top recording dates with
such artists as George Benson, Peabo Bryson, Diana Ross and Robert Plant, to name a few.
In 1985 Michael Brecker told Chick Corea to
check out this new young guy in town, Dave Weckl, for his new 'Elektric Band'. That was
the beginning of a 7 year relationship with both the 'Elektric' and 'Akoustic' Bands,
where 9 recordings and 3 videos were produced, and the 'Akoustic Band' winning a Grammy
for the band's first release. It was also the Elektric Band's first recording where Dave's
spectacular drumming and innovative use of combining electric and acoustic drums really
brought him world wide recognition.
Dave has since gone on to produce three of his
own recordings to date, 'Masterplan', 'Heads Up', and 'Hardwired', all available on
GRP/MCA records. A fourth release is due out soon on Stretch Records titled 'Ryhthm Of The
Soul'. Besides doing occasional session work in the Los Angeles area, he has kept busy the
last few years recording and touring with The Brecker Brothers, Michel Camilo, Eliane
Elias, Steve Kahn, and most recently with the great guitarist from NY, Mike Stern,
featuring the band's latest release 'Between The Lines', on Atlantic records.
Besides his busy playing career, Dave is also
very involved with the teaching aspect of the music business, conducting many seminars and
classes all over the world. He says " It is my goal to inspire as many young (and not
so young) people as possible to want to play music, whether it be drums or another
instrument. With all the problems of the world today, I feel this is my way of
contributing a positive action towards spiritual happiness, which music can be a big part
of, if you let it. So parents, if your child has a talent for music, please allow them the
opportunity to develop that talent!". Dave hopes to help open a new drum/music school
in the LA area in the near future. He also has many instructional video and audio tapes on
the market available through DCI/Warner Bros. Music.
Equipment used and endorsed by Dave: Yamaha
Drums; Zildjian cymbals; Vic Firth Signature sticks, shoes and products; Remo heads; Shure
microphones, May bass drum mounting system; DDrum electronic drums, XL Specialty Cases;
Bagend Speakers, LP products.
*Note: Joe Buerger is still actively teaching in the St.
Louis area -- listed in the local phone book/information. |
