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Michael Lauren

New Yorker Michael Lauren (b.1950) began drumming at the age of eight. His artistry fuses the boundaries of jazz, blues, funk, rock, and world music. Michael attended Johns Hopkins University, The Peabody Conservatory and Berklee College of Music.

He is a founding member of the world-renowned Drummers Collective NYC, where he taught for over twenty-five years. Michael was the Professor of Drum Set Studies (2003-2020) and head of the Jazz Department (2005-2010 & 2015-2017) at the Escola Superior de Música, Artes e Espectáculo (ESMAE) Porto, Portugal.

He is currently Professor of Drum Set Studies at Escuela Superior de Música Jam Session Barcelona, España and is the founder / artistic director of The International Drum Academy Lisbon, Portugal.

Michael has performed and/or recorded with Benny Golson, Tom Harrell, Bob Stewart, Bob Mintzer, Milt Hinton, Ted Curson, Rick Margitza, Bill Frisell, Paul Anka, Chuck Berry, Charles Brown, Tom Jones, Darlene Love, Martha Reeves, Don Sebesky, Teo Macero, Jerry Jemmott, Kenny Davern, Mike Stern, Silje Nergaard, Dena DeRose, Robert Kraft, Cornelius Bumpus, The Drifters, The Coasters, Bobby Radcliff, Popa Chubby, Grant Green Jr., T.M. Stevens, Markus Burger, Orquestra Jazz Matosinhos, Orquestra Jazz Algarve, Jorge Costa Pinto Big Band, Quinteto Mario Santos, Hugo Alves Quartet, The Postcard Brass Band, 2 Tubas & Friends and many others.

He has also led his own bands Bashier, Magister Ludi and The Michael Lauren All Stars, whose debut CD “Once Upon A Time In Portugal” (2016) and the follow up CD "Old School / Fresh Jazz" (2018) were not only highly praised by both Portuguese and International jazz critics but were chosen as one of the 10 best national albums (Portugal) of 2016 and 2018 respectively. Michael has worked in Broadway theatre productions, in the studios of New York recording albums, jingles, industrials and was a staff drummer for the music publishing company Famous Music.

Michael is the author of seven books: Welcome To Odd Times - An Approach To Mental and Manual Dexterity For The Drum Set, The Book of Silence, The Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming, Rudiments And Variations For Drummers, Understanding Rhythm - A Guide To Reading Music, Rhythmic Fundamentals, and Compreender Ritmo. An internationally recognized educator and clinician, Michael has written articles for Modern Drummer Magazine, The Percussive Arts Society’s magazine Percussive Notes and Score Magazine a subdivision of the PBS television series “Rock School”.

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14
Album Review

The Michael Lauren Trio: Live At Mobydick Records

Read "Live At Mobydick Records" reviewed by Mark Sullivan


Drummer/educator Michael Lauren's Live At Mobydick Records project is a compact trio outing with guitarist Vasco Agostinho and double bassist João Custódio. Lauren moved from New York City in 2003 to become the Professor of Drum Set studies at the Escola Superior de Música, Artes e Espectáculo (ESMAE) in Porto, Portugal. This performance came about as the result of a worldwide live-stream concert from the recording studio at MobyDick Records in Braga, Portugal: a comfortable setting for the players, as ...

122
SoCal Jazz

Michael Lauren: Give My Regards To Portugal

Read "Michael Lauren: Give My Regards To Portugal" reviewed by Jim Worsley


From Broadway to jazz to Portugal. A circuitous route for sure. One that has, however, served international musician Michael Lauren well. The now seventy-year- old multi-styled drummer came out of the womb with a kick pedal and has been holding down a symphony of beats ever since. Over the years he has played or recorded with Chuck Berry, Tom Jones, Mike Stern, Paul Anka, Bill Frisell, Darlene Love, Tom Harrell, Jerry Jemmott, Bob Mintzer, and many more. Along the way ...

71
Album Review

The Michael Lauren All Stars: Old School / Fresh Jazz

Read "Old School / Fresh Jazz" reviewed by Jim Worsley


A second outing for drummer and composer Michael Lauren and his All Stars continues and strengthens their fresh path through intelligent modernism. Their brightly-lit road intersects again and again with a variety of classic jazz genres. This energetic sixteen-track outing is presented in a unique style. Interspersed between the songs are six short drum duets with trumpet, piano, contrabass, saxophone, guitar, and vibraphone. These offerings rapidly push into richer jazz complexities that serve to buffer and segue into the more ...

71
Album Review

Michael Lauren All Stars: Once Upon A Time In Portugal

Read "Once Upon A Time In Portugal" reviewed by Mark Sullivan


Drummer/educator Michael Lauren moved from New York City in 2003 to become the Professor of Drum Set studies at the Escola Superior de Música, Artes e Espectáculo (ESMAE) in Porto, Portugal. He formed his All Star band with some of Portugal's best jazz musicians to continue performing the hard bop he loves. Almost everyone contributes a tune, along with two period-appropriate covers. The septet stakes out their stylistic territory by opening with “Minor Strain," a Bobby Timmons composition first recorded ...

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"When the new mainstream threatens to be no more than a dead end alley, Michael takes it back to where it belongs, providing swing, passion and dynamics”. João Moreira Santos - “Jazz a Dois” - Antenna 2 (Portugal)

“Michael Lauren leaves a masterly and hopeful footprint with this great recorded work, in which he joins the past and the present, with effort, talent and creative originality. This is a magnificent recording with eloquent improvisations". José Antonio García López - Tomajazz (España) "Drummer Michael Lauren delivers a no-nonsense blowing date of hard bop-style jazz

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Primary Instrument

Drums

Location

Lisbon

Willing to teach

Beginner to advanced

Credentials/Background

Teacher Drummers Collective (NYC) 25 years. Professor Escola Superior de Música, Artes e Espectáculo (ESMAE) in Porto, Portugal. Founder and artistic director of The International Drum Academy, Lisbon, Portugal. Hours and Rates upon request.

Clinic/Workshop Information

Workshops/MasterClasses over the years: What Make A Complete Drummer? Understanding Rhythm Creating the Monster Groove American Musical Drumming Styles Cross Rhythms and Polyrhythms on the Drum Set Odd Meter Drumming Rudiments and their application on the Drum Set Jazz Drumming – A Stylistic Approach History of Jazz Drumming Concepts and Approaches to Drum Soloing Michael Lauren www.michael-lauren.com [email protected] 351 918 409 620

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Live At Mobydick...

Mobydick Records
2022

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Live At Mobydick...

Mobydick Records
2022

buy

Old School / Fresh...

Why Not Music
2018

buy

Once Upon A Time In...

Why Not Music
2016

buy

Biji

From: Live At Mobydick Records
By Michael Lauren

Videos

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