About tom
To teach is to learn twice… Joseph Joubert
In a live performance, it's a collaboration with the audience; you ride the ebb and flow of the crowd's energy.
Jon Batiste
The city of Oswego, New York, ("...mouth of the stream..." indigenous translation) was instrumental in providing me many opportunities, most significantly, imagining music as a career. In looking back on my ‘musical roots,' inspiration was fostered by my attraction to the popular music of the mid to late-1960’s, my mother singing her favorite songs in our home, my aunt playing piano, the stories of my grandmother playing her lap guitar, and the musical path paved by my brothers, John and David. By this time, they were already rehearsing and performing locally in a 5-piece band. This was my first “close to home” glimpse into the possibility of pursuing a career in music. Fast forward… With the encouragement of childhood friends along with my own excitement, I developed basic drum set skills and began performing locally. Soon after, I attended college for two years and while taking a few music courses, I was able to meet other musicians. Following two years in college, I began performing full time and started my first formal drum set lessons with a big band drummer. He suggested to delve into the wide world of music theory and to listen to any and all music genres. After three years performing full time, I returned to academia and began teaching privately and performing in parallel. Over time, a cohesive and fluid teaching method came about, some of which was based on skillsets passed on to me from other teachers. At the same time, my performing foundation continued to expand, which allowed me to receive a Concerto Award for percussion performance while premiering several solo percussion works. With an undergraduate degree in music, I migrated to graduate school and continued my focus on percussion performance. During my second semester of graduate school, I was fortunate to receive an adjunct teaching position at a college in Salinas, California. As part of my graduate percussion performance focus and degree, I premiered the West Coast performance of both John Beck's "Concerto for Drum Set and Percussion Ensemble" and German composer Martin Redel's "Musik Für Klavier und Schlaginstrumente." Following graduate school, I moved to New York City, where I remained active in teaching and performance from 1979-2005. I have held teaching positions at Hartnell College, Salinas, California; Drummers Collective (aka thecollective), NYC; Master classes at Montgomery College, Rockville, Maryland; SUNY ESF, Syracuse, NY; Le Moyne College, Syracuse, NY; SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY; and Hamilton College, Clinton, NY. In addition to teaching and performing in New York, I also developed the necessary skills as a recording engineer, eventually creating a music production recording studio (TomTom Recording). From 1985-2005 I produced, co-produced, engineered and performed on scores of full length albums (see Discography page), specializing in recording singers, songwriters and instrumentalists. Here too, my teaching background and performance listening skills guided me in what can be a fun, creative and emotionally dynamic environment. As part of my engineering and producing experience, I attended and consulted with mastering engineers Greg Calbi, Ted Jensen and Bob Ludwig.
At TomTom Recording, it was exciting to have recorded, produced and/or performed with scores of singers, songwriters and instrumentalists. Some of the musicians included violinist L. Shankar; composer John Cage; drummers Ginger Baker, Brian Blake, Graham Hawthorne, Shawn Pelton, percussionist Michael Pugliese, Bernard Purdie, Max Roach, Marvin “Smitty” Smith and Howie Wyeth; guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli; violinist Heather Hardy; saxophonist Dan Alvaro; trumpeters Chris Anderson, MIke Morreale and Joe Reardon; pianists Franni Burke, Rusty Cloud, Paul Greenwood, Barry Levitt, Brian Mitchell, Andy Monroe, Louis St. Louis and Spyro Gyra's founding member, Jeremy Wall; songwriters & vocalists Gene Casey, Claire and Rusty Cloud, Walter Egan, Marc Farre, Art Garfunkel and son James, Steven Keene, Ann Klein, folk duo Minus Ted and Carmin Turco; vocalists Michael Amante, Dottie Burman, Cindy Coffin, Laura Hyman, Carol Mennie, solo artist, and vocalist Catherine Russell and jazz vocalist Andrea Wolper; guitarists Gene Casey, John "J.J." Jackson, John La Babera, Dom Minasi, Jeff Mironov, Richie Naso, Oz Noy, John Putnam, Marc Shulman, Kim Starner and Dan Wray; bassists Paul Binotto, Steve Count, Mark Egan, Tony Garnier, Rob Glick, Gary Haase, Mark Lupone, Jay Ward and a host of other performers.
While in New York and Central New York State (CNY), my live performing took place in a variety of settings, including premier showcase clubs, colleges, dance clubs, Irish pubs, bars, arts and public schools, specialty club dates and everyplace in between. I was happy and fortunate to have performed with a variety of talented singers, songwriters and instrumentalists such as, the fabulous songwriter and singer, Dee Archer, Mike Barry, Cidny Bullens (aka Cindy Bullens), Steven Keene, Grant King, Jim McGloin, Carrie Mills, folk duo Minus Ted, Carmin Turco and Cookie Watkins; trumpeter and NEA Jazz Masters recipient Joe Wilder, saxophonist/pianist Monk Rowe; guitarists, John Amato, Mark Doyle, John Hutson, John McCurry, Richie Naso, John Putnam, Eric Raes, Marc Ribot, Tony Sarno, Peter Seckel, Kim Starner, Lee Tiffault and Dan Wray; bassists Paul Binotto, Steve Count, Rob Glick, Kevin Jenkins, Jamie Lamm, Mark Lupone, David Quigley, Bob Sherwood, and Jay Ward; pianists Jim Abbott, Franni Burke, Rusty Cloud, Claire Cooper, "Dr." Joe Hudson, Greg 'Atticus' Husted, George Kobryn and Tommy Mandel; the "Do Good" Big Band; the Dawn Avery cello and percussion duo Cellovision; Monk Rowe's Five Families Ensemble, the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, Richie Havens, and the graceful and kind Odetta. I have also shared the stage with Joe Cocker, B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Mtumbe, The Stray Cats, the singer and songwriter Paul Rodgers of the English group, Bad Company, along with composers Lou Harrison and Terry Riley. In addition, I have toured both nationally and internationally as a percussionist with the Manhattan Ballet Company, the Mimi Garrard Dance Company, and the David Parker Dancers as well as recording percussion on advertising jingles for the J. Walter Thompson ad agency and Fearless Music. I can be seen as a musician in the CBS movie “Svengali” starring Jodi Foster and Peter O’Toole. After leaving New York, I continued to teach and perform while exploring my new home of CNY and the state of Vermont. In the end...
A performer should know his or her audience and offer them the best of their inspiration and musical ability for all to enjoy. So, too, with teaching. A teacher is given an important responsibility, to offer the ‘student’ every possibility of developing their skills and finding their passion within a fun, creative and safe space. Not only in their study of music, but in the collaborative environment of making music with others. The influence of hundreds of students and audiences remains a permanent, wonderful, and important part of who I am today.
To teach is to learn twice… Joseph Joubert
In a live performance, it's a collaboration with the audience; you ride the ebb and flow of the crowd's energy.
Jon Batiste
The city of Oswego, New York, ("...mouth of the stream..." indigenous translation) was instrumental in providing me many opportunities, most significantly, imagining music as a career. In looking back on my ‘musical roots,' inspiration was fostered by my attraction to the popular music of the mid to late-1960’s, my mother singing her favorite songs in our home, my aunt playing piano, the stories of my grandmother playing her lap guitar, and the musical path paved by my brothers, John and David. By this time, they were already rehearsing and performing locally in a 5-piece band. This was my first “close to home” glimpse into the possibility of pursuing a career in music. Fast forward… With the encouragement of childhood friends along with my own excitement, I developed basic drum set skills and began performing locally. Soon after, I attended college for two years and while taking a few music courses, I was able to meet other musicians. Following two years in college, I began performing full time and started my first formal drum set lessons with a big band drummer. He suggested to delve into the wide world of music theory and to listen to any and all music genres. After three years performing full time, I returned to academia and began teaching privately and performing in parallel. Over time, a cohesive and fluid teaching method came about, some of which was based on skillsets passed on to me from other teachers. At the same time, my performing foundation continued to expand, which allowed me to receive a Concerto Award for percussion performance while premiering several solo percussion works. With an undergraduate degree in music, I migrated to graduate school and continued my focus on percussion performance. During my second semester of graduate school, I was fortunate to receive an adjunct teaching position at a college in Salinas, California. As part of my graduate percussion performance focus and degree, I premiered the West Coast performance of both John Beck's "Concerto for Drum Set and Percussion Ensemble" and German composer Martin Redel's "Musik Für Klavier und Schlaginstrumente." Following graduate school, I moved to New York City, where I remained active in teaching and performance from 1979-2005. I have held teaching positions at Hartnell College, Salinas, California; Drummers Collective (aka thecollective), NYC; Master classes at Montgomery College, Rockville, Maryland; SUNY ESF, Syracuse, NY; Le Moyne College, Syracuse, NY; SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY; and Hamilton College, Clinton, NY. In addition to teaching and performing in New York, I also developed the necessary skills as a recording engineer, eventually creating a music production recording studio (TomTom Recording). From 1985-2005 I produced, co-produced, engineered and performed on scores of full length albums (see Discography page), specializing in recording singers, songwriters and instrumentalists. Here too, my teaching background and performance listening skills guided me in what can be a fun, creative and emotionally dynamic environment. As part of my engineering and producing experience, I attended and consulted with mastering engineers Greg Calbi, Ted Jensen and Bob Ludwig.
At TomTom Recording, it was exciting to have recorded, produced and/or performed with scores of singers, songwriters and instrumentalists. Some of the musicians included violinist L. Shankar; composer John Cage; drummers Ginger Baker, Brian Blake, Graham Hawthorne, Shawn Pelton, percussionist Michael Pugliese, Bernard Purdie, Max Roach, Marvin “Smitty” Smith and Howie Wyeth; guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli; violinist Heather Hardy; saxophonist Dan Alvaro; trumpeters Chris Anderson, MIke Morreale and Joe Reardon; pianists Franni Burke, Rusty Cloud, Paul Greenwood, Barry Levitt, Brian Mitchell, Andy Monroe, Louis St. Louis and Spyro Gyra's founding member, Jeremy Wall; songwriters & vocalists Gene Casey, Claire and Rusty Cloud, Walter Egan, Marc Farre, Art Garfunkel and son James, Steven Keene, Ann Klein, folk duo Minus Ted and Carmin Turco; vocalists Michael Amante, Dottie Burman, Cindy Coffin, Laura Hyman, Carol Mennie, solo artist, and vocalist Catherine Russell and jazz vocalist Andrea Wolper; guitarists Gene Casey, John "J.J." Jackson, John La Babera, Dom Minasi, Jeff Mironov, Richie Naso, Oz Noy, John Putnam, Marc Shulman, Kim Starner and Dan Wray; bassists Paul Binotto, Steve Count, Mark Egan, Tony Garnier, Rob Glick, Gary Haase, Mark Lupone, Jay Ward and a host of other performers.
While in New York and Central New York State (CNY), my live performing took place in a variety of settings, including premier showcase clubs, colleges, dance clubs, Irish pubs, bars, arts and public schools, specialty club dates and everyplace in between. I was happy and fortunate to have performed with a variety of talented singers, songwriters and instrumentalists such as, the fabulous songwriter and singer, Dee Archer, Mike Barry, Cidny Bullens (aka Cindy Bullens), Steven Keene, Grant King, Jim McGloin, Carrie Mills, folk duo Minus Ted, Carmin Turco and Cookie Watkins; trumpeter and NEA Jazz Masters recipient Joe Wilder, saxophonist/pianist Monk Rowe; guitarists, John Amato, Mark Doyle, John Hutson, John McCurry, Richie Naso, John Putnam, Eric Raes, Marc Ribot, Tony Sarno, Peter Seckel, Kim Starner, Lee Tiffault and Dan Wray; bassists Paul Binotto, Steve Count, Rob Glick, Kevin Jenkins, Jamie Lamm, Mark Lupone, David Quigley, Bob Sherwood, and Jay Ward; pianists Jim Abbott, Franni Burke, Rusty Cloud, Claire Cooper, "Dr." Joe Hudson, Greg 'Atticus' Husted, George Kobryn and Tommy Mandel; the "Do Good" Big Band; the Dawn Avery cello and percussion duo Cellovision; Monk Rowe's Five Families Ensemble, the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, Richie Havens, and the graceful and kind Odetta. I have also shared the stage with Joe Cocker, B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Mtumbe, The Stray Cats, the singer and songwriter Paul Rodgers of the English group, Bad Company, along with composers Lou Harrison and Terry Riley. In addition, I have toured both nationally and internationally as a percussionist with the Manhattan Ballet Company, the Mimi Garrard Dance Company, and the David Parker Dancers as well as recording percussion on advertising jingles for the J. Walter Thompson ad agency and Fearless Music. I can be seen as a musician in the CBS movie “Svengali” starring Jodi Foster and Peter O’Toole. After leaving New York, I continued to teach and perform while exploring my new home of CNY and the state of Vermont. In the end...
A performer should know his or her audience and offer them the best of their inspiration and musical ability for all to enjoy. So, too, with teaching. A teacher is given an important responsibility, to offer the ‘student’ every possibility of developing their skills and finding their passion within a fun, creative and safe space. Not only in their study of music, but in the collaborative environment of making music with others. The influence of hundreds of students and audiences remains a permanent, wonderful, and important part of who I am today.