Mentors

MENTORS
These are the teachers and mentors that have shaped my life as a drummer/tabla player/percussionist. I am honored and humbled by what they have given me and wanted to use this opportunity to say THANK YOU!

	Pierre Ogea My first drum teacher. I don't even remember how old I was, grade school I think. I started lessons with Pierre with nothing more than a pair of sticks and a piece of wood to practice on. Eventually graduated to a snare drum and then my first drum set in 6th grade. Pierre took me to his gigs and let me sit in with the band. I loved it! He worked me hard on the rudiments. Here is a video of him playing at a rudiment competition in New York in 2006....Smokin!

	Dr. Jim Strain My first professor of percussion at Northern Michigan University. He gave me a solid foundation of fundamentals in music theory, more rudiment training (he unlocked my paradiddle!), and basic keyboard mallet technique. I was one of his very first students at NMU when he started at Northern in 1997. He prepared me to go to CalArts and helped me to get into the mindset of being a hard working student. Thanks Jim!

	John Bergamo My mentor at CalArts. He introduced me to the tabla and gave me a true global perspective of 'world' percussion. In my first year at CalArts he lent me my first set of tabla, came to my house during the off summer months to give me private lessons that lasted for hours, (free of charge) and started every lesson by asking me, "what to you want to do today?" He has been all over the world playing music, and has played with some of the greatest musicians in the world. I was humbled by his willingness to work so selflessly with me to find myself as a musician. I suppose that is truly what makes him a great artist, and person. Thanks John!

	Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri When it comes to tabla, Swapanji is as good as it gets. He is known worldwide as one of the greatest exponents of Indian Classical music. Having the chance to sit with him for 3 years at CalArts was a great blessing and honor. He taught me the importance of tradition and respect for what came before you. He also taught me about the inevitability of letting go of your ego to fully serve the music. His most memorable lesson was one in which he said, "You must surrender yourself to the music." To this day, that quote is a mantra I repeat to myself when I play. Thank you Swapanji!

	Randy Gloss Randy was the glue that held everything together for me in my time at CalArts. His enthusiasm and knowledge of percussion was infectious. He was one of the best teachers I have ever had. He knew how to impart information! He had the greatest respect for his teachers, and he showed me how good practice is like honoring both yourself and your teacher. He gave me lessons on the tabla, pandiero, frame drum, and lots of other interesting gadgets. He showed me how to repair tabla and replace the heads, and helped me to become the tabla room caretaker at CalArts. A job I loved. Randy once said to me, "Believe in yourself and everything else will follow." That is another quote I think about all the time. Thanks Randy!

	Kobla Ladzekpo Kobla lead the African drum ensemble at CalArts. His family is the top musical family in Ghana and he and his wife Beatrice came to the U.S. in the 70's to bring their rich traditions to a new crowd. I loved playing in the ensemble. It was, by far, the loudest, most powerful ensemble I had ever been a part of. I had always been a loud powerful drummer and this ensemble was right up my alley. The first show I played with this group was at a school in L.A. for about 2000 screaming students. I had my first lead drum part and in the span of about 10 minutes I broke SIX sticks playing my part. The very next class Kobla came over to me and handed me his stick. He said, "You will play with this stick today." He smiled, as I wondered why. He continued, "I have had it for over 25 years, so be careful!" I have never held a stick the same since! Thanks Kobla!

	Dr. Rajan Sachdeva After graduating CalArts in 2001, I moved back to Michigan to start my carreer and hopefully keep learning Indian classical music. When I started searching for a teacher, everyone I asked pointed me towards Rajanji. He has been teaching Indian classical music for decades in Southeast Michigan and has met, played with, or taught any and every Indian musician that comes through the area. I took lessons with him in accompaniment. He helped to connect me with the Indian music community and introduced me to my guruji, Pandit Samar Saha. Thanks Rajanji!

	John Hill was my private instructor at the University of Michigan-Flint. Even though I had been studying Indian and African drumming very intensly at CalArts, I was still considered a beginner in the western percussion world. John Hill got me up to speed on solo snare drumming and marimba repertoir. He had me playing drum line compositions, Bach concerto's, and even found a way to include tabla in a marimba/tabla duet.. His enthusiasm as a teacher was infectious. Thanks John.

	Pandit Samar Saha My Guruji. I was introduced to Samar Saha in 2003 by Rajan Sachdeva. The first time we met was for a lesson. I sat with him for 4 hours, but the connection we made was instant. As a teacher Samarji is open, intuitive, intense, gentle, and very encouraging. As a performer he is, well, it is hard to put into words. I have resigned myself to telling people "you just have to see him to believe what is possible". He is powerful, extremely quick, and has a very focused beautiful sound, all while smiling and seeming very relaxed. On top of refining my technique, giving me a library of compositions, and even sharing the stage with me, he also taught me how to let go of all my inhibitions while playing tabla, and he is the first teacher that has inspired me to practice every single day. Thanks to him, I know what it means to have a guru. Thanks Guruji!