Born: September 22, 1958 Primary Instrument: Drums
Ethan Winogrand was born in New York City. He started playing guitar at five years old, teaching himself songs from the radio and the various records of his family. He began private lessons and added piano to his studies. When fifteen he discovered drums and from then on there was no turning back.
In 1976 at the age of seventeen he joined the rock group “Joe Cool”, who were part of the early punk scene at CBGBs and Max's Kansas City in NYC and who performed at those clubs one week or more each month with other usual suspects like “Talking Heads”,” Television”,” Blonde”,”John Cale”,”The Ramones” ect... It was at that time that Ethan developed his connection to an audience and the joy that only performing live can bring, both to an audience and the musicians. In 1978 after leaving Joe Cool Ethan was free to pursue his newly discovered love of Jazz and began studying at the Drummer's Collective. Along with his long time friend Adam Scher, they formed the Jazz-Rock-Fusion group “High Tide”. After a few years playing throughout the New York and northeast region, the group disbanded and Ethan started playing with the Richard Lindsey trio. He also started recording for a variety of New York artists.
In 1983, he joined the groundbreaking art/funk trio “Unknown Gender” recording and co-producing their next four records and touring extensively throughout Europe for the next eight years. It was during that time that Ethan relocated for four years to live in Copenhagen. While there, he worked at Adapter Studios, composing and producing music and sound for industrials and commercials. He also composed, recorded and produced a solo progressive rock record titled “Foundation” under the name of Construction. He was also establishing himself as a uniquely styled drummer, playing with many of the local Danish jazz artists.
After returning to NYC in 1987 he became involved in the downtown art/rock/jazz scene, becoming a regular performing artist at venues such as the Knitting Factory, Amazon, China Club, The Kitchen, performing and recording with Stranger Jones, Nue Enemy, Changing Bodies, Cindy Rickmond, Richard Lindsey, Valerie Block, Karen Mantler, Eric Mingus, Big Duck, Marc Sloan, Virgin Dog, Sue Fisher and so on. In 1991, Ethan and Eric Mingus formed “New Republik”, a progressive funk rock sextet. A year later Ethan moved to Brooklyn where he began meeting many of the local musicians and artists. It wasn’t long after that he was to sharpen his focus on jazz and improvised music. With Ross Bonadonna, a local multi instrumentalist and owner of Wombat recording studio, they recorded a free jazz improvised trio record. Thus began a collaboration that is alive formulating and still developing.
1998 changed things forever when Ethan began purchasing recording equipment and setting it up in his Brooklyn flat. It wasn’t long before various artists started using his Spokes Studio for commercial and record projects, including Eric Mingus's debut solo CD, a number of ESPN documentaries produced by Mingus, the new Stranger Jones and Sue Fisher CDs. But the studio was mainly for Ethan to work and record his own material at his own pace.
On January 4th 2000 Ethan and his wife Montse helped introduce a son to the world and into their life: Mateo Garry Winogrand. Three months later, they moved with all their belongings including the studio, to the north of Spain where Montse is from. Ethan immediately started setting up his studio, but before he could finish he went on tour throughout Europe spending most of that spring, summer and fall to promote Eric Mingus's CD “Um Er Uh”. Upon his return home he began performing with some of the local artists and in his free time started working on the compositions that were to become his newest effort “Made In Brooklyn” a title dedicated to his son and recorded both in his studio in Spain and at Wombat in Brooklyn. Ethan currently performs with Michael Lee Wolfe, who’s latest CD “Corners of the World” was recorded at Spokes Studio and co-produced by Ethan. He has also started working with some of the core Madrid jazz musicians, frequently going there for various performances and record dates and has formed a trio with the tenor saxophonist John Williams and Francisco López on contra bass. With the addition of Ramon Garcia, he is currently performing the music from his new CD “Made In Brooklyn”. Ethan visits NYC at least once each year maintaining his connection and involvement with the musicians he has worked with through the years.
