Bio

About

At the age of five, Chris's grandfather, Julius, purchased a pair of tiny drumsticks for him. Once the sticks were in Chris's hands, he began to play on pots, pans, dining room furniture and crystal vases. Lesson to parents - always buy the drum first!

Chris's earliest "gig" as a child was playing snare drum with the Long Island Banjo Society who had never used a drummer before. After the show, the banjo players urged Chris's parents to buy a drumset for him. Although his mom and dad held off on buying a drumset for quite some time, around the age of eight, Chris decided to construct a drumset using pieces he had recieved as gifts on past birthdays and Christmas. Chris's first kit consisted of wafer-thin beginner hi hat cymbals, a 1960s Gretch snare drum, LP bongos and a big cardboard box for a bass drum played with sticks; a real contraption.

From fourth grade on, Chris was in the school music program and studied drums privately with Jack "Red" Snyder (Tommy Dorsey & Doris Day). Chris attended Five Towns College in Dix Hills, NY where he studied drumset with Bob Emry (Tiny Grimes) and vibes with jazz great, Ray Alexander as well as music arrangement with the legendary Bugs Bower. He also held the drumset chair for the big band which performed at Carnegie Hall.

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