About Me
I'm a jazz drummer and have been playing drums for quite a while. I started playing drums in 1978 when I was five years old and my first real experience playing jazz was in junior high playing in the school jazz band. In high school I was in the jazz band and attended the Great Plains Jazz Camp in Emporia, KS the summers of 1990 and ‘91. After graduating high school I went to Wichita State University where I was a music performance major. In Wichita, between 1991 and 1998, I played steel drums in the eight piece steel drum band Pandora’s Box and had my own steel drum duo, I worked in Wichita’s blues scene playing with Three Shades of Blue and various blues bands and in 1993 began accompanying dance classes for the university’s dance department playing hand percussion. In 1995 I created and directed the Wichita State University West African Jembae Ensemble and for the next three years went into the schools with the Mid America Dance Theatre’s African Dance Lecture Demonstrations. I played congas in the salsa band Sol Y Sambra, and doumbek and percussion with Oud master George Matta with the band Sahara. There was Triune, the jazz fusion trio and many rock bands. Among them were Trippin’ Pig, Static Face, Carganza, By No Means, and in 1997 and 1998 I was picked up for touring with the band Scroat Belly. ____________________________________________________________
_ 1998, 1999 & 2000 I lived in New York where I was the drummer for the band Flux Information Sciences. One of the biggest bands in New York at the time, we were part of a scene which is now documented in the film Kill Your Idols. In 2000 the band was signed to Michael Gira’s Young God Records with the release of Private/Public in 2001. During these years I accompanied dance classes for a living playing hand percussion for Broadway Dance Center, Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, Peridance, The Limone Studio, Marymount Manhattan College, Barnard College and NYU. ___________________________________________________________2
001, 2002, & 2003 In San Diego I worked with Latin jazz pianist Danny Green, I was also a member of the adventurous jazz sextet Streaming Audio, had my own free form jazz duo with saxophonist Russell White and created and ran a highly successful preschool program called Introduction to West African Music and Rhythms which went into hundreds of preschools and had phenomenal success with lots of repeat business. I also taught drum lessons at Music Central’s two locations and for a time taught hand percussion at the Encinitas School of Music. I worked with Theo and the Zydeco Patrol, Dano’s Island Sounds and in 2002 received an endorsement from percussion manufacturer LP. I also did session work for Richard Livoni of Blitz Recording Studio. ____________________________________________________________
2004 My wife and I lived in Chicago where I was a Selected Teaching Artist for Gallery 37 In The Parks, teaching West African drumming to urban city kids. They also learned tap and hip hop routines with a final performance at the end of the program. They did very well, I was really proud of them. ___________________________________________________________2
005 & 2006 In San Diego I completed an internship with San Diego Performing Arts League, then spent the rest of the time unsuccessfully trying to get an administrative position with one of the performing arts organizations. __________________________________________________________20
07 Went back to playing drums for a living and soon ended up auditioning for and working with Will Faeber. Gigs included Oceanside, California’s Ofest 4th of July Pierside Nights Concerts in the Amphitheater, and Stanley Park summer concert series. And I just found out today ( Oct 4 ) that the Will Faeber Band has been nominated for "BEST LOCAL BAND" in the BEST OF SAN DIEGO READERS POLL 2007 at the Union Tribune's SignOnSanDiego.com ____________________________________________________________
_And now we’re leaving San Diego and moving to Wichita! We recently got to a point where we wanted to be closer to family and friends. My folks are still there and we’re happy to be closer to them during this time and though some time has passed, I still have what I consider to be some very good friends there. They consist of some of the best people I have ever known and most of them are extremely talented musicians. Valerie has gotten a great job there and we’ve already done something we haven’t been able to do in the places we’ve been so far. We bought a house! Not ones to let life get boring, we’re looking forward to what’s next. Thanks for visiting me here on Myspace. - Derek
