Saturday, 08/15, 2-4pm

This workshop is open to beginning through advanced drummers looking to strengthen their jazz playing, with a focus on developing comping ideas and a more melodic approach to soloing. Participants will explore bebop vocabulary used by masters such as Max Roach, Elvin Jones, and Tony Williams, while taking a deeper look at how to make comping more musical — examining not only what to play, but how and when to play it.

The workshop will also cover different approaches to soloing over jazz forms, with an emphasis on drawing inspiration from melody. Rudiments and technical exercises will be explored as creative tools, alongside practical strategies for developing simple motifs and musical ideas that can immediately strengthen improvisation and storytelling on the drum set.

About Jeremy Steinkoler

Jeremy Steinkoler, described by the East Bay Express as “a very swinging drummer who’s mastered the art of coordinated independence,” has been performing professionally for more than 30 years. He appears regularly with a wide range of projects, including his award-winning saxophone-and-drums trio Mo’Fone, the Erika Oba Trio, Sam Rudin, Jennifer Jolly & Friends, Jean Fineberg’s JazzPhoria, the Bonafides, and the Steinkoler Trio featuring his son Evan on piano.

Steinkoler has performed multiple times at the SFJAZZ and Monterey Jazz Festival festivals and has released more than a dozen albums as both a sideman and bandleader. A longtime educator, he is Co-Founder and Co-Director of BandWorks, Founder and Director of the East Bay Drum School, and author of the critically acclaimed essay collection Finding the Groove.