Jojo Mayer | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | (1963-01-18)18 January 1963 (age 62) Zurich, Switzerland |
| Genres | Drum and bass,jazz rock,jungle,fusion rock,livetronica |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Drums |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Website | www |
Sergé "Jojo" Mayer (born 18 January 1963) is a Swiss drummer born inZürich and currently residing inNew York City.
Mayer is the son of touring musician and bass player Vali Mayer and the brother of actressDelia Mayer.[1] He began his career as a drummer at an early age, receiving his first drum set at the age of two. Having taught himself throughout his childhood, he broke out into the professional music scene at the age of 18, joining theMonty Alexander group. Touring with the group launched him into the major jazz music scene, and he has played at theNorth Sea Jazz Festival,Montreux, Nice, and Athens etc., which culminated with his gigging with jazz-greats such asDizzy Gillespie andNina Simone. Eventually, after playing with a great variety of artists, Mayer moved away from jazz and intoDrum 'n' Bass.[2]
Jojo Mayer is known for bringing togetherjazz,drum and bass,jungle, and other influences. He is also famous for his ability to play the rhythms of programmed jungle drum 'n' bass music on acoustic drums, terming this technique "reverse engineering", a phrase borrowed from computing.[2] He executes this approach using various methods such as theheel-toe bass drum technique,the Moeller stroke, the Valving technique, and the "pull-out" or "push-pull" accent which takes the beat on the rebound. Using these techniques, he can play beats at astonishing speeds. A few of his main influences areTony Williams,Jack DeJohnette andBuddy Rich.
He is the leader of liveelectronica quartet Nerve, which he founded in 1997.
He played with the guitaristDavid Fiuczynski in the avant-garde jazz rock bandScreaming Headless Torsos and in thefusion jazz band, Intergalactic Maiden Ballet.
He ran the popular Prohibited Beatz live electronica party in NYC from 1996–2001.[3]
With Intergalactic Maiden Ballet:
WithJohn Medeski:
WithScreaming Headless Torsos:
With Harry Sokal:
Sulfur:
With Leo Tardin
WithJanek Gwizdala:
With Depart
WithRebekka Bakken
With Trace Elements
Nerve (Jojo Mayer, John Davis, Jacob Bergson):
DVDs:
He was featured as the cover story of the January 2008 issue ofModern Drummer magazine. Jojo Mayer was interviewed by DrummerConnection.com in May 2010,[4] and by Linus Wyrsch on "The Jazz Hole" for breakthruradio.com in July 2010.[5]
Mayer is a long-timeSonor endorser who also usesSabian cymbals,Vic Firth sticks andEvans Drumheads. He helped Sonor design the Jungle kit and snare. He has also collaborated with Sabian to create three lines of cymbals: the Vault "Fierce" series, the "Omni" series, which includes both AAX and HHX models, and the HHX "Anthology" series.[6] His Vault Fierce cymbals feature a raw, unlathed finish, and extensive hand hammering, while the Omnis are designed to function as both rides and crashes.[citation needed]He also helped to develop the hoop crash of Sabian and the perfect balance (single pedal of Sonor).
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