S2 E56 JOEL PRIME, Adelaide Born & Educated Drummer/Percussionist, Now Living In London Where He Performs With The Alina Bzhezhinska Quartet, Mr Little's Noisy Band, London Street Band, & Many Others

BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series

Joel Prime joins me from London to discuss his musical journey which began after he received his first set of drums for Christmas when he was three years old. He initially taught himself the basics, then began lessons with John Zac when he was 6, and by age 11, Joel was playing regular gigs. Joel's drumming prowess was immediately evident, and by being taught by many of Adelaide's elite drum educators, attending Marryatville High School, which offers a fabulous SIMC program, combined with a solid regime of practice, he soon developed his sparkling technique. Joel’s acquired skill through hard work and persistence became his entrée card to a world of musical diversity. In his teens Joel was part of the Marryatville High School Stage Band, the group travelled for performances in London, New York, Los Angeles, Melbourne, and Sydney. These gigs paved the way for Joel to share the stage with such performers as Bob Mintzer, James Morrison, Bobby Shew, John Hoffman, Rhonda Burchmore, Jon Gordon, Tony Kofi, Alina Bzhezhinska, Ray Vega, Paul Bollenback, George Garzone and Pharoah Sanders. He was inspired to begin percussion after seeing his teacher Steve Todd performing together with his son Ben, in the popular Adelaide band 'Goose'. Joel took a break from studying music in the last 2 years of high school, and for a while was contemplating becoming a pilot, thankfully his love of music returned and he successfully auditioned for the The Elder Conservatorium of Music, at the University of Adelaide, where he was taught by another previous BAND IT ABOUT guest Laurie Kennedy. In 2005, he was awarded most outstanding percussionist at Generations in Jazz by James Morrison. In 2008, he received a prestigious performance award from Downbeat magazine (USA) as a member of the 2008 Adelaide University Big Band 1. Later that year, Joel received the Helpmann Academy Award for Jazz Drums, for graduating at the top of his class at the Elder Conservatorium in 2006 and 2007, then received the 2010 Helpmann Academy Award for most outstanding Honours graduate. Joel has led percussion workshops and performed at WOMADelaide, Glastonbury Festival, London Jazz Festival, Adelaide Festival of Arts, Adelaide Fringe Festival, and The Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Joel's burgeoning skill set continues to be recognized by the drumming elite. Joel is currently endorsed by Pearl Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth drumsticks and Remo drumheads. In 2011 he won the award for Australia’s Best Up and Coming Drummer (Open age category) at Australia’s Ultimate Drummers Weekend. It was Joel's parents who initially floated the idea of him going overseas to expand his music career, and as he already had a British passport, moving to London was the obvious choice. Joel didn't know anyone in London, so it took a while for him to begin to get work, but once his talents were seen at the open jam nights that he was regularly attending, he began to receive job offers. Joel is a member of the critically acclaimed 'Alina Bzhezhinska Quartet', who have appeared at the Jazz Legend Festival in Birmingham and many other venues around the UK including top London jazz clubs The Crypt and The Vortex. They appeared at the London Jazz Festival 2017 in a triple bill performance along with Coltrane’ s specialist Denys Baptist and the legendary saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. Joel's versatility across congas, drum kit and all manner of Afro Cuban and Brazilian percussion now sees him performing with a vast array of ensembles across many musical styles. Joel also performs with 'Mr Little's Noisy Band' and 'London Street Band.'

Music: "Band It About" theme song written & recorded by Catherine Lambert & Michael Bryant. Outro "Los Caballos" written by Alina Bzhezhinska, performed by the Alina Bzhezhinska Quartet.

Band It About links https://linktr.ee/banditaboutpodcastseries Thanks for listening!

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