Pat is recognized as one of today’s most accomplished and versatile drummers, having performed and recorded with a wide variety of artists from many genres of music including Gloria Gaynor, Patti LaBelle, Dee -Lite, Patti Smythe, and Glen Burtnik, as well jazz guitarist Ed Hamilton, and most recently the world music group Oko Jumu. His versatility extends to Broadway in New York City, having played such shows over the years as "A Chorus Line", "Grease", "Footloose" and "Dreamgirls".
Whether it’s a "deep pocket" groove, or a creative, sophisticated fill, Pat delivers with authority. Check out the MultiMedia section for some examples of Pat in action.
He is also one of the most sought after educators and clinicians in the business. As a clinician and endorser for Zildjian cymbals, Aquarian drumheads, Regal Tip drumsticks, and the S- Hoop drum hoop, he has conducted clinics and master classes all over the world.
Pat’s DVD/Book, "Hands, Grooves, and Fills", (Visual Music Media) represents a complete curriculum and methodology for drum set development.. His first video, the popular "Snare Drum Rudiments", was one of the first instructional videos ever released. To purchase Pats’s new DVD/Book, go to the DVD/Book section. "To sum it up", as one magazine article stated: "You're sure to find Pat somewhere in New York, cymbal bag over his shoulder, and pedal grease on his sneakers!"
Growing up in New Brunswick, New Jersey in a culturally mixed neighborhood, Pat started playing at age 5. Playing came naturally, and he was drawn to the music of the Beatles. Along with the help of an older brother, he was playing along to their records endlessly. Ringo Star was a huge influence on Pat, and today, you can hear that influence in recordings Pat has made with various artists. As he got older, his next musical influences were James Brown, Parliament/Funkadelic, Yes, Earth, Wind, and Fire, Stevie Wonder, and "anything that was on the radio".
Pat also honed his chops with local drum and bugle corps in New Jersey. He joined his first drum corps at age 9, and continued to develop his rudimental chops, marching with various drum corps including The Saints, The Garfield Cadets, and finally, the Bayonne Bridgemen, where he studied with Dennis DeLucia. They were extremely popular, and gave him the chance to tour around the U.S. He competed in the DCI Individual Snare Drum Solo contests where he finished 3rd, and 2nd on two occasions. He went on to college, receiving a scholarship to Morehead Sate University in Kentucky, where he studied with Frank Oddis. He received both a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Music Education, participating in the big band and percussion ensembles.
Upon returning to New Jersey, he enrolled at Drummers Collective in NYC, studying with the likes of Peter Erskine, Frank Malabe, and many others. His years of studies with the late Malabe, were "truly inspirational, saturated not only with the music, but of the culture" of Afro Cuban music. "Peter Erskine taught me more about what not to play, and how to play more musically, effortlessly, and with conviction of time and a sense of space."
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