Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Paul Wertico was born January 5, 1953, in Chicago, Illinois. He began his professional career as a member of the Chicago based Simon & Bard Group. When Pat Metheny heard him play in 1983, he invited him and bassist Steve Rodby to join his band. During his time with Metheny, he played on ten albums and four videos, appeared on television, and toured around the world. He won seven Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Best Contemporary Jazz Performance, and Best Rock Instrumental Performance, as well as magazine polls, and several gold records.
Paul left Metheny in 2001 and formed the Paul Wertico Trio with John Moulder and Eric Hochberg. He collaborated with Larry Coryell, Kurt Elling, and Jeff Berlin. From 2000 to 2007, he was a member of SBB, the platinum-record-winning Polish progressive rock band. Wertico was a member of the Larry Coryell Power Trio until Coryell’s death in 2017.
He went on to create or gain membership in several groups Marbin, Paul Wertico’s Mid-East/Mid-West Alliance, Wertico Cain & Gray, and has won several awards. He has worked with Frank Catalano, Eddie Harris, Lee Konitz, Dave Liebman, Sam Rivers, Bob Mintzer, Terry Gibbs, Buddy DeFranco, Roscoe Mitchell, Evan Parker, Jay McShann, Herbie Mann, Randy Brecker, Jerry Goodman, Fareed Haque, Ramsey Lewis and the list goes on.
As an educator Paul has taught drums privately for 55 years, conducted clinics and masterclasses in addition to writing educational articles for Modern Drummer, DRUM!, Drums & Drumming, Drum Tracks, and DownBeat, and online for Musician.com. He is an Associate Professor of Jazz Studies at the Chicago College of Performing Arts of Roosevelt University, and also headed the school’s Jazz & Contemporary Music Studies program for five years. He served on the faculty of the percussion and jazz-studies programs at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois for 16 years, and taught at the Bloom School of Jazz in Chicago for several years.
Drummer and percussionist Parl Wertico continues to perform, record and educate.
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