Primary Instrument: Drums
Born in New York City, Kevin took up drumming at the age of 14. Since then, he has become one of the busiest drummers in traditional jazz. A solid timekeeper in the tradition of Cliff Leeman, Kevin's exciting career has included performances with artists such as Dan Barrett, Ed Polcer, Johnny Varro, Bob Wilber, Dan Levinson, Mark Shane, Terry Blaine, Howard Alden, Jon-Erik Kellso, Warren Vaché, and Allan Vaché. Kevin has performed with The Loren Schoenberg Big Band, Vince Giordano's Nighthawks, The Flying Neutrinos, The Flipped Fedoras, David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Centennial Band, The Manhattan Rhythm Kings, Banu Gibson and the New Orleans Hot Jazz, and many others.
Kevin has played at jazz festivals and jazz parties throughout the country, including the JVC Jazz Festival, Jazz at Chautauqua, the Atlanta Jazz Party, the Colorado Springs Jazz Party, the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival, the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, the Los Angeles Sweet and Hot Music Festival, and the Nairn Jazz Festival in Scotland. Kevin has performed in Japan with the New York Ragtime Orchestra, and his most recent travels include a tour of the United States with the Ed Polcer All-Stars and a tour of Europe with Allan Vaché. Lately, Kevin has been performing quite frequently with Tony Award-winning actor John Lithgow, including a concert at the Kennedy Center and an upcoming HBO Special.
For two years, Kevin was a member of The Jim Cullum Jazz Band, the nation's foremost traditional jazz group, appearing on their weekly public radio show, Riverwalk; Live from the Landing.
After leaving the Jim Cullum Jazz Band in 2004 and returning to New York, Kevin formed the Traditional Jazz Collective (the TJC). This group of young musicians was instantly a hit with audiences because of their passionate, no-holds-barred style of playing. The TJC has appeared at concerts and festivals to rave reviews, has performed at New York's famed Rainbow Room, and can regularly be seen at such NYC venues as the Garage and Jacques-Imo's. The group has received praise from the Mississippi Rag, Cadence Magazine, the New York Times, and the Smithsonian Magazine. The band is loose and energetic, and the chemistry between the players is obvious. They recently released a new CD (their second) entitled “The TJC Returns!”
Kevin has taught drumming at the Manhattan School of Music, the United Nations International School, and the Stanford Summer Jazz Workshop.
Bopworks Drumsticks
