Broadway Booksmarts w/Joe Bergamini :: Ep 187 The Rich Redmond Show

The Rich Redmond Show

Joe Bergamini maintains a diverse career as a drumming performer and educator. Enjoying various styles of playing, he is known for his progressive rock drumming in the bands Happy the Man and 4Front, and he is the current international touring drummer for The Doo-Wop Project. Based in the New York area, Joe has worked extensively on Broadway. In 2018, he held the drum chair for the Broadway production of Gettin’ the Band Back Together, and he has also performed at over 15 other shows including Movin’ Out, Jersey Boys, Rock of Ages, In the Heights, Beautiful (The Carole King Musical), Hamilton, The Lion King, Million Dollar Quartet, and others. Joe has also appeared on the first national tours of Movin’ Out, Jersey Boys and Beautiful, and with major symphony orchestras including the Philly Pops and the Detroit, Nashville, Seattle, San Diego, Indianapolis and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras.

A best-selling drum set author, Joe has won four Modern Drummer Readers Poll awards for his drum books, including best drum book of 2013 for Neil Peart: Taking Center Stage. In 2023 he wrote GADD: A Life in Time, the authorized musical biography of Steve Gadd, under Gadd’s supervision and with his extensive involvement. He is also the author of The Working Drummer’s Chart Book, Stewart Copeland: Drumming in The Police and Beyond, Drum Techniques of Led Zeppelin, and several other books. As the Senior Drum Editor for Hudson Music since 2009, Joe has worked closely with many of the world’s greatest drummers, acting as editor on books with Steve Gadd, David Garibaldi, Steve Smith, Liberty DeVitto, Mark Guiliana, Tommy Igoe, Stanton Moore, Todd Sucherman, and many others.

In 2007, Joe co-founded the publishing company Wizdom Media LLC with his late teacher and friend Dom Famularo, and continues to run the company. Their books are distributed physically by Alfred Music and digitally by Hudson Music. Since 2015, Joe has also been Education Consultant for Sabian, designing and directing the Sabian Education Network for drum teachers.

Recognized internationally as an educator, Joe has given hundreds of drum clinics in schools, retail stores, and conventions. He has appeared at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) multiple times, the Ultimate Drummers Weekend (Melbourne, Australia), the Cape Breton Drum Festival (Nova Scotia, Canada), KOSA (Vermont, USA), and the Sonny Emory Drum Camp (Atlanta, USA), and has done two clinic tours for Tama Drums. He has been teaching privately at his own studio for over 30 years. Among Joe’s many private students who have gone on to pro careers is world-renowned jazz drummer Mark Guiliana. Joe proudly endorses Tama drums, Sabian cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, Evans drumheads, Latin Percussion.

Things That Came Up:

-1:40 The glory of the New Jersey “jug handle”

-2:40 Played Broadway for 15 years and now subbing

-5:09 Inspired by the Buddy Rich Memorial scholarship performances, in which great rock drummers played Big Band music very well

-9:30 Subbing for Andre Ferraro and “In the Heights”

-10:50 The “job” of subbing on Broadway is making them not miss the original guy. It’s like being in the most detailed tribute band in the world.

-18:20 Joe played Rush covers note for note

-29:30 Strong transcription got Joe the job as the drum editor at Carl Fischer

-32:30 Then became the drum editor for Hudson Music, a small company

-33:30 Books with Neil Peart, Stewart Copeland, Steve Gadd and now, Billy Cobham

-35:00 As Hudson’s drum editor, also worked with David Garibaldi and Steve Smith

-38:20 Everyone check out the Hudson Digital Library

-40:00 Ron Wallis and Paul Siegel bought The Drummers Collective together and built an empire with true entrepreneurial spirit

-42:20 The Sabian Education Network (SEN)

-44:40 Dom Famularo was Joe’s mentor starting at 19

-47:30 NAMM and PASIC are STILL great to do!

-49:20 www.workingdrummercharts.com

-56:00 Original drummer for Jersey Boys was Clint DeGanon (one of the busiest drummers in NYC)

-58:50 Joe’s experience with working with Symphony conductors

-65:50 The “Jazz period” after high school. Studied with John Riley

-1:10:50 The band FOREFRONT. “Malice in Wonderland” is the album Joe is most proud of.

-1:11:45 The band HAPPY THE MAN

-1:12:30 Joe’s son Nick just graduated from New Jersey City College and is going pro!

-1:14:50 “The Fave 5”

-1:29:30 Read the paper!!!

-1:30:30 “Life beyond the cymbals” includes visiting the National Parks. Joe has been to 260 our of 400. Bird watching as well

Follow:

www.joebergamini.com

IG: @joebergamini

FB: @joebergamini

The Rich Redmond Show is about all things music, motivation and success. Candid conversations with musicians, actors, comedians, authors and thought leaders about their lives and the stories that shaped them. Rich Redmond is the longtime drummer with Jason Aldean and many other veteran musicians and artists. Rich is also an actor, speaker, author, producer and educator. Rich has been heard on thousands of songs, over 25 of which have been #1 hits!

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Jim McCarthy is the quintessential Blue Collar Voice Guy. Honing his craft since 1996 with radio stations in Illinois, South Carolina, Connecticut, New York, Las Vegas and Nashville, Jim has voiced well over 10,000 pieces since and garnered an ear for audio production which he now uses for various podcasts, commercials and promos. Jim is also an accomplished video producer, content creator, writer and overall entrepreneur.

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www.jimmccarthyvoiceovers.com

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