 | Thisbiography of a living personneeds additionalcitations forverification. Please help by addingreliable sources.Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced orpoorly sourcedmust be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentiallylibelous. Find sources: "Paul Wertico" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Paul Wertico | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1953-01-05)January 5, 1953 (age 72) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz,jazz fusion,rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, educator, producer |
| Instrument(s) | Drums, percussion |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Website | www |
Paul Wertico (born January 5, 1953, inChicago, Illinois) is an American drummer. He gained recognition as a member of thePat Metheny Group from 1983 until 2001,[1] leaving the group to spend more time with his family and to pursue other musical interests.[2]
AfterPat Metheny heard the Simon & Bard Group with Wertico and bassistSteve Rodby, he invited both to join his band. During his time with Metheny, Wertico played on ten albums and four videos, appeared on television, and toured around the world. He won sevenGrammy Awards (for "Best Jazz Fusion Performance," "Best Contemporary Jazz Performance," and "Best Rock Instrumental Performance"), magazine polls, and received severalgold records.
He formed the Paul Wertico Trio with John Moulder and Eric Hochberg and collaborated withLarry Coryell,Kurt Elling, andJeff Berlin. From 2000 to 2007, he was a member ofSBB, the platinum-record-winning Polishprogressive rock band. Wertico was a member of the Larry Coryell Power Trio until Coryell's death in 2017.
In 2009, Wertico became a member of the jazz-rock groupMarbin with Israeli musicians Danny Markovitch and Dani Rabin. The group performed as Paul Wertico's Mid-East/Mid-West Alliance and recorded an album for the Chicago Sessions label that received accolades from theChicago Tribune,DRUM!, andModern Drummer.
Wertico formed Wertico Cain & Gray with multi-instrumentalists David Cain andLarry Gray. Their debut albumSound Portraits (2013) won Best Live Performance Album in the 13th Annual Independent Music Awards, and their fourth albumRealization (2015) was nominated for Best Live Performance Album and Best Long Form Video in the 15th Annual Independent Music Awards.
Wertico played drums onPaul Winter's 1990 Grammy-nominated album,Earth: Voices of a Planet. He played on vocalistKurt Elling's 1995 Grammy-nominated album,Close Your Eyes, as well as Elling's 1997 Grammy-nominated album,The Messenger, 1998 Grammy-nominated album,This Time It's Love, and 2003 Grammy-nominated album,Man in the Air.
Some of the many other artists Paul has played with:Eddie Harris,Lee Konitz,Dave Liebman,Sam Rivers,Bob Mintzer,Terry Gibbs,Buddy DeFranco,Roscoe Mitchell,Evan Parker,Jay McShann,Herbie Mann,Randy Brecker,Sonny Fortune,George Coleman,Diane Schuur,Ira Sullivan, andRamsey Lewis.
He hosted his own radio show,Paul Wertico's Wild World of Jazz, from 2010 to 2012. As Musical Director for the crowdsourced TV video series,Inventing the Future, Wertico was nominated for a 2012–2013 Emmy Award in the “Outstanding Achievement In Interactivity” category by The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Midwest Chapter.
He's the inventor of TUBZ, made by Pro-Mark, which also made the "Paul Wertico Signature Drum Stick".
In November 2024, Dream Cymbals released two Paul Wertico signature flat ride cymbals, the 20” & 22”Bliss WERTICO RIDE.
Wertico is very active in the field of education. In addition to teaching drums privately for 55 years, he is an Associate Professor of Jazz Studies at theChicago College of Performing Arts ofRoosevelt University in Chicago,[3] and he 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 theBienen School of Music atNorthwestern University in Evanston, Illinois for 16 years, and taught at the Bloom School of Jazz in Chicago for several years.
He has written educational articles forModern Drummer,DRUM!,Drums & Drumming,Drum Tracks, andDownBeat, and for Musician.com. He serves on the advisory board ofModern Drummer, and is also one of their Pro-Panelists.
Wertico served five terms on the Board of Governors of The Recording Academy Chicago Chapter the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), as well as serving on both the Advisory Board and the Education Committee of The Jazz Institute of Chicago.
Wertico has performed numerous drum clinics and master classes at universities, high schools, and music stores in the U.S. and around the world, including Drummers Collective in NYC, Percussion Institute of Technology in LA, North Texas State University, and the University of Miami, as well as Musicians Institute in England, Drummers Institute in Germany, Escuela de Música Creativa in Spain, Università della Musica in Italy, Escuela de Música de Buenos Aires in Argentina, and the Rimon School of Jazz in Israel.
He has been a featured clinician/soloist at numerous international drum festivals including Canada’sCape Breton International Drum Festival and the Montréal Drum Fest, Uruguay’s Montevideo Drum Festival, the CrossDrumming International Festival of Percussive Arts in Poland, the Mendoza International Drum Festival in Argentina, the Percussion Camp International Percussion Festival in Greece, and the First International Drummers Week in Venezuela, as well as at schools and festivals in New Zealand, Chile, Mexico, Russia, Hungary, France, Sweden, Ireland, and Spain.
He also performed at the 1994, 1999, 2002 & 2018 Percussive Arts Society International Conventions, the 1997 Modern Drummer Drum Festival (and appeared in videos of two of those events), and the 2005, 2013, 2014, 2019 & 2023 Chicago Drum Shows. Wertico is featured in theDrum Workshop videos,The American Dream II,The American Dream III andMasters of Resonance.
He has released two instructional videos:Fine Tuning Your Performance andPaul Wertico's Drum Philosophy — the latter (available on DVD), was named “One of the best drum videos of the last 25 years” byModern Drummer magazine.
Wertico’s drum instructional bookTURN THE BEAT AROUND (A Drummer’s Guide to Playing “Backbeats” on 1 & 3) was published byAlfred Music on July 7, 2017.
Wertico has also released numerous recordings as co-leader: a self-titled LP,Earwax Control, and a live Earwax Control CD entitled,Number 2 Live; a self-titled LP,Spontaneous Composition; a drum/percussion duo CD (withGregg Bendian) entitledBANG!; a double-guitar/double-drum three-CD set (withDerek Bailey, Pat Metheny and Bendian) entitledThe Sign Of 4; and two piano/bass/drums trio CDs (withLaurence Hobgood andBrian Torff) entitledUnion andState of the Union.
Some of his latest releases include a DVD & CD by David Cain & Paul Wertico entitledFeast for the Senses; a CD by Paul Wertico & Frank Catalano entitledTopics of Conversation; a CD by Fabrizio Mocata, Gianmarco Scaglia & Paul Wertico entitledFree the Opera!; a DVD & CD by Wertico Cain & Gray entitledSound Portraits (winner of "Best Live Performance Album" in the 13th Annual Independent Music Awards (2014); Wertico Cain & Gray’s second CD entitledOut in SPACE; Wertico Cain & Gray's second DVD & third CD entitledOrganic Architecture; Wertico Cain & Gray's fourth CD & video release entitledRealization (nominated for "Best Live Performance Album" and "Best Long Form Video" in the 15th Annual Independent Music Awards (2016); Wertico Cain & Gray's fifth CD entitledShort Cuts – 40 Improvisations; Wertico Cain & Gray's sixth CD entitledAfterLive; Wertico Cain & Gray's seventh CD & downloadable video release entitledWithout Compromise; and Wertico Cain & Gray's eighth CD entitledWindows Of Time; a CD entitledDynamics in Meditation by the Gianmarco Scaglia & Paul Wertico Quartet; The Paul Wertico/John Helliwell Project has two releases: a CD entitledThe Bari Sessions and a 2-CD set entitledLive Under Italian Skies; and the Chicago-based Paul Wertico Trio (featuring guitarist John Moulder & bassist Eric Hochberg) released a CD (celebrating the trio’s 25th anniversary) entitledFirst Date, and the Italy-based Paul Wertico Trio (featuring pianist Fabrizio Mocata & bassist Gianmarco Scaglia) also released a CD entitledLetter from Rome. Paul's latest CD is entitledPaul Wertico's Drums Without Boundaries and it received a four-star rating inDownBeat.[4]
| This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "Paul Wertico" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | Theneutrality of this article isdisputed. Relevant discussion may be found on thetalk page. Please do not remove this message untilconditions to do so are met.(November 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Wertico's debut CD as a leader,The Yin And The Yout, received a four-star rating inDownBeat. His 1998 trio CD,Live In Warsaw!, received four and a half stars fromDownBeat and featured guitarist John Moulder and bassist Eric Hochberg. The trio's 2000 studio recording, entitledDon't Be Scared Anymore, received reviews of "This album is like the soundtrack to the world's coolest vacation" fromAll About Jazz and "Jazz-rock in the truest sense" fromAllMusic.
Wertico's 2004 CD,StereoNucleosis, was released to extremely positive reviews. TheChicago Tribune wrote: "A brilliant release – Wertico shows a thrilling disregard for stylistic boundaries.StereoNucleosis is one of the most intelligent, creative and alluring percussion recordings of the past decade. Wertico reaffirms his position among the most restlessly inventive drummers working today."Allmusic reported: "Wertico and his players have done something wonderful and rare: they've actually created something not only different, but also truly new."LA Weekly wrote: "His recent records, such as 2000'sDon't Be Scared Anymore and the newStereoNucleosis are stunning examples of the electronic, rhythmic and intellectual directions jazz could be going." Wertico's 2006 CD,Another Side, was released on the audiophileNaim Label; it was described as "a brilliant collaborative effort between these three uniquely talented musicians."
His 2010 CD,Impressions Of A City, featuring his band, Paul Wertico's Mid-East/Mid-West Alliance, has been described in reviews as "One of the most impressively spontaneous albums you'll find on this planet – or any other"; "Haunting and memorable…an engaging musical experiment and one that is highly unique."; "This is musical narrative at its finest. A fanfare for the common (and mechanically exploited) 21st century man and woman."; "Sometimes beautiful, other times tense or just plain spooky,Impressions of a City ought to go some way toward correcting the dubious reputation of avant-garde music."; "A wildly unpredictable journey into one man's apparently inexhaustible sonic imagination."
DownBeat magazine awarded it four and a half stars, listed it as of the Best CDs of 2010, and wrote "What makes the music work is not only that Wertico is not content to just "play it straight" as a drummer but that his skills as a conceptualist/leader may even be greater. A heads-up for all budding drummers (check out Wertico's inventive pause of a solo on "My Side of the Story") who would like to hear and create music that goes beyond just keeping time."
This band also released a live in concert DVD, entitledLive From SPACE, that has been reviewed by theChicago Jazz Music Examiner as "More than setting tones, moods, and the stage for future, like-minded experimentation, these talented musicians have managed to also push the limits of what jazz can be, while entertaining a wider form of audience."; and thiszine.org wrote "For Wertico fans, this DVD is a must have, showcasing innovative, finely tuned jazz talent. For new fans of modern jazz, this would be a staple, and a great place to start before your journey backwards."
In 2007 Wertico and Brian Peters released their CD,Ampersand, which Drummerszone.com called "Simply a musical masterpiece" andClassic Drummer described as "one of the most ambitious records ever released. Recorded over a period of four years, it documents a completely new approach to combine elements of both rock and jazz music while resulting in a very listenable and captivating final product." That same year he releasedJazz Impressions 1 with pianist Silvano Monasterios and bassistMark Egan.Chicago Jazz wrote: "From the first note ofJazz Impressions 1, you know you're in for something interesting and different. What these three do with that format, however, is nothing short of breathtaking."
Paul Wertico (featuring Bob Mintzer, Dave Liebman, David Mann, Howard Levy, Yu Gno Who (Pat Metheny), Brian Keane, Richie Beirach, Michael Bearden, Nik John Bariluk, Barbara Unger-Wertico, Dave Holland, Victor Bailey, Mino Cinelu, Paul Wertico & Malinke People of Mali)
Paul Wertico Trio (featuring John Moulder, Eric Hochberg & Paul Wertico)
WERTICO (featuring John Moulder, Brian Peters, Eric Hochberg, Barbara Wertico & Paul Wertico)
Paul Wertico Trio (featuring John Moulder, Brian Peters & Paul Wertico)
Paul Wertico Trio (featuring John Moulder, Larry Gray & Paul Wertico)
Paul Wertico’s Mid-East/Mid-West Alliance (Danny Markovitch, Dani Rabin, John Moulder, Brian Peters & Paul Wertico)
Paul Wertico Trio (featuring Fabrizio Mocata, Gianmarco Scaglia & Paul Wertico)
Paul Wertico (featuring Mirko Pedrotti, Alex Munk, Gianmarco Scaglia, Paul Wertico & Ichos Percussion)
With Spontaneous Composition (Rich Corpolongo, Doug Lofstrom & Paul Wertico)
With Earwax Control (Gordon James, Jeff Czech & Paul Wertico)
With Trio New (Laurence Hobgood, Eric Hochberg & Paul Wertico
With Paul Wertico &Gregg Bendian
WithDerek Bailey,Pat Metheny,Gregg Bendian & Paul Wertico
With Union (Laurence Hobgood,Brian Torff & Paul Wertico)
With Brian Peters & Paul Wertico
WithSilvano Monasterios,Mark Egan & Paul Wertico
With David Cain & Paul Wertico
With Paul Wertico &Frank Catalano
With Fabrizio Mocata, Gianmarco Scaglia & Paul Wertico
With Wertico Cain & Gray (Paul Wertico, David Cain &Larry Gray)
With Gianmarco Scaglia & Paul Wertico Quartet
With Paul Wertico /John Helliwell Project
WithMarbin (Danny Markovitch, Dani Rabin & Paul Wertico)
WithSBB
With Simon & Bard Group
WithLarry Coryell
WithKurt Elling
WithKen Nordine
WithTerry Callier
With John Moulder
WithHoward Levy
WithMarbin
With Vangelis Katsoulis
WithNiels Lan Doky
With Bobby Lewis
WithPaul Winter
With Kol B’Seder
WithFareed Haque
With Fabrizio Mocata
With Andrea Miller
WithFabio Armiliato
With Isabelle Olivier
WithMario Parmisano
WithBob Mamet
With Carrie McDowell
With Willa Moore
WithLisa McClowry
With Steve Behr And The Behrkats
WithFrank Quintero
With Patxi Pascual
With Dimension
With Liam O'Connor
With Alberto Mizrahi
With Julio Awad
With Jim Trompeter
With Matt Geraghty Project
With Piotr Wojtasik
With Ronit Ben-Arie
With Synergy
With Jill Jensen &Jack Grassel
With Mike Phillips
With Walt Cunningham Jr.
With Insout
With Frontera Cero
With Anthony Plessas
With Lefteris Christofis
With The Beth Emet Youth Choir 2004-2005
With Tom Mac
With Allegra Rosenberg & Talia Wertico
With Barbara Sfraga
WithDavid Bowie
With Frank Kvinge
WithFrank Catalano
With Gillespi
With John Williams
With Rob Ryndak
With Shakshuka
With Hanako Takami
WithTom Gullion
With Cheryl&Co.
With Willy Schwarz
WithJackie Allen
With Pat Belliveau
With Eddie Marshall
With The Rich Corpolongo Quartet Plus Two
With Frank Gregory
With The Chicago Hitmen
With Watermelon Sugar
WithPat Metheny
WithPaul Halley
With Don Bennett
WithEugene Friesen
WithFred Simon
WithBrad Goode
WithAndrew Calhoun
With Miss Jackie Weissman
WithJerry Goodman
With Guy Fricano
With Dave Gordon
With Andre Caporaso
With Fred Koch
With Rich Fudoli
With David Cloud & Jeffrey Thomas
With Peggy Pascal & Jill Hearn
WithEllen McIlwaine
WithMike Smith
With Amy Levin
WithPaul Berliner and KUDU
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
