About Me
Corey Radford began imitating the likes of Stewart Copeland, Stewart Copeland, and Stewart Copeland at the age of 8, and his mother has the battered ice cream pails and broken wooden spoons to prove it!! Following this inimitiable burst on the scene (his bedroom) he began to get more serious about the instrument, checking out more drummers beyond the realm of Sting’s greatest nemesis... Basically John Bonham, Chad Smith, John Densmore, Mitch Mitchell, and Keith Moon. Turning pro at the age of 16, he was regularly subbing for his good friend Bill Larson in a variety Rock/Country band, and holding the first alternate spot in the community Jazz Big Band. After finishing high school in 1992, Corey decided to pursue the Jazz idiom more fully in a university setting, and enrolled in the Jazz Studies program at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. It was here that he was exposed to a wide variety of musical concepts and directions by his teachers Dave Schmalenberger, Dr. Glenn Schaft, Dr. Michael Pagan, and Dr. George Hitt. These included "ka diddly opf!!", "Ba ba du du ba ba du du", and "skiddly doom bop!". Also, Afro-Cuban, African, Brazilian, Classical, Funk, Pop, Fusion, and Rock styles were explored. Corey obtained two UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program) grants to travel to the cultural and musical mecca we know as Chicago to study Afro-Cuban and Brazilian musics as applied to drumset performance, and gave two subsequent clinic presentations at the University of Minnesota, Duluth on these styles. After graduation with honors in 1997, Corey decided to pursue his studies further in the Jazz idiom, enrolling in the Master’s Program for Jazz Studies at DePaul University, in Chicago, IL. Here he came into contact with Bob Lark, Dana Hall, Joel Spencer, Alan Swain, and the entire Chicago jazz scene at that time which included Von Freeman, Rob Amster, Laurence Hobgood, Michael Raynor, Pat Mallinger, and Jeff Stitely (just to name a small slice). Here he was able to explore the Jazz idiom beyond the mere "Spang a Lang", and get into a wider variety of influences rhythmically, harmonically, and texturally. He performed and recorded with the University’s award winning Jazz Ensemble, and Small Combos. He completed his studies in 1999. Following this, he freelanced around the Chicago area and the Midwest, performing with a wide array of groups, including:Von Freeman, Vince Willis, Lonie Walker, Clyde George, Joe Thomas, Pat Hall, HoundsWay, Alan Gresik’s Swing Shift Orchestra, John Paris, Sam Burckhardt, Savoir Faire, Dennis Winslett, Dennis Anderson, the Corey Radford/Scott Anderson Quartet, Matt Geraghty, Steve Ramsdell, and Tom Hope.In addition, Corey has performed and/or recorded with the following: Wallace Roney, Greg Abate, Steve Coleman, Rob Amster (Kurt Elling), Neil Alger (Patricia Barber), Kevin Harris (Abbey Lincoln, Sam Rivers), and Andres Boiarsky (Dizzy Gillespie Alumni Band).Corey currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.
