Brian Melvin

Drummer-percussionist-Brian Melvin is one of today's leading modern rhythmatists . In a generation of new percussionists , Brian is at the edge of new sounds and percussion in music. He is a serious player of Tai Chi and Chi Qong and the healing arts. The invisible and spirit world play a big part in his creative process. He is continually exploring all the ways of combining the internal arts along with music and drumming. Brian plays many folkloric drums and explores the various religious aspects of the drumming cultures. For Brian ,it is one big circle that connects. Shoshin-Beginners mind. He has played and recorded with some of the past legends and current leaders in modern music. As a youth and teen he grew up playing in one of San Francisco's premier jam bands- 'The Beluga Whale'. He met Buddy Rich on his 8th birthday and was introduced to music by The Beatles in 1964. Having spent much time around the Haight-Ashbury music scene and especially 'The Grateful Dead', Brian's musical horizons were ready to grow. Bill Kreutzmann was a huge influence on Brian in that Bill was original and open to everything in drumming.Thats when he played with sax legends Sonny Simmons and Prince Lashe and pianist Jon Davis. It was at this point when Brian was hanging at the jazz club 'The Keystone Korner' and befriended the likes of Elvin Jones, Max Roach and all the jazz great drummers of that era. Elvin gave Brian his Guru blessing when he was eighteen years old. In his early twenties he played and recorded with bassist-band leader Jaco Pastorius, which was his entry into the mainstream. That led to his Nightfood-era of contemporary jazz music. Brian has played and recorded with Joe Henderson, Bob Weir, Greg Allman, Michael Brecker, John Scofield, Mike Stern, Joe Lovano, Richard Bona, Toots Thielemans, Randy Brecker, Bobo Stenson, David Kikoski, Larry Grenadier, Bhagavan Das, and many world musicians and a host of others along the way. Brian has lived and played in New York many different times and still plays and visits about twice a year. Brian spent two years in New York with Al Foster as a dear friend and mentor in 1998-99. As a percussionist and mainly hand drum player he has studied with Ustad Alla Rakha and his son Zakir Hussain on Tablas as well as his good friends Aushim Chauduri and Arshed Syed. It was in 1976 that Brian's interest in the Tabla started. He saw the Diga Rhythm band at the famous Winterland arena in San Francisco which was the world music ensemble that was led by Mickey Hart and Zakir Hussain. He pursues his tabla playing with deep passion and is involved in many projects as a world percussionist. In african drumming, it was Kwaku Daddy from Ghana that befriended and taught Brian. It was Armando Peraza the master Cuban percussionist that influenced Brian and pointed him into a deeper place of drumming and into the folkloric traditions. Brian has also written the book Tao of Drumming", combining a reflective and personal approach from his years of doing Tai Chi and eastern studies. He has also just released his solo project 'Land of Drum' which features all original world music compositions. Currently Brian's main group is 'Beatlejazz' with his friend and pianist David Kikoski. He also keeps his group FOG from San Francisco rolling. Currently Brian is living in Tallinn, Estonia and is involved with many eclectic projects from Estonia and with other groups in Europe. Brian is also interested in sound design and film work and has done the music to 4 films. Please visit www.brianmelvin.com for more information on Brian.