From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dave Weckl (born January 8, 1960) is a highly acclaimed jazz fusion drummer. Weckl attended Francis Howell High School in St. Charles, MO and graduated in 1978. He majored in jazz studies at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. Starting out on the New York fusion scene in the early 1980s, Weckl soon found himself working with artists such as Paul Simon, Madonna, George Benson, Michel Camilo and Anthony Jackson. His most famous early work though, where his popularity blossomed, was in Chick Corea's Elektric Band from 1985 to 1991.

Weckl spent a total of seven years with Corea, during which he performed on numerous albums and also appeared with Corea's Akoustic Band, receiving considerable esteem for his work. He augmented his work with Corea by continuing his session work and appearing often with the GRP All-Star Big Band. In addition, he recorded four albums in 1988 and '89 with the Manhattan Jazz Quintet. Weckl has also released a series of instructional videotapes, and in 1990, he led his first solo date, Master Plan, for GRP. Heads Up followed in 1992, as well as Hard-Wired in 1994.

Upon leaving Corea, Weckl's primary focus was recording and touring with guitarist Mike Stern; he also continued his work as a sideman. In 1998, Weckl led the R&B-oriented date Rhythm of the Soul, a return to his other boyhood musical love, and the like-minded Synergy followed in 1999. The Dave Weckl Band had really gelled by the time of Transition's 2000 release, but Weckl didn't leave teaching behind either, and released another instructional recording, The Zone, in 2001. After working extensively with a quartet for the last few years, he debuted their efforts with 2002's improv-heavy Perpetual Motion.

He has been the leader of ten recordings since 1990, three under his own name and seven as the Dave Weckl Band. Dave Weckl has several deals with musical companies like Yamaha, Sabian, and Vic Firth, which sell customized percussion products designed in part by Weckl.

He was also known as the "Triplet King."

Around 1996, his style and setup radically changed due in large part from his studies with the legendary Freddie Gruber.

Contents 1 Discography 2 Videos 3 Books 4 External links

Dave Weckl:

• 1990 Master Plan (GRP records)
• 1992 Heads Up (GRP records)
• 1994 Hard Wired (GRP records)

Dave Weckl Band:

• 1998 Rhythm of the Soul (Stretch records)
• 1999 Synergy (Stretch records)
• 2000 Transition (Stretch records)
• 2001 The Zone (Stretch records)
• 2002 Perpetual Motion (Stretch records)
• 2003 Live (And Very Plugged In) (Stretch records)
• 2005 Multiplicity (Stretch records)

• 1989 Back to Basic (DCI music)
• 1990 The Next Step (DCI music)
• 1993 Working It Out (DCI music)
• 2000 How to develop your own sound (Carl Fischer publishing)
• 2000 How to practice (Carl Fischer publishing)
• 2000 How to develop technique (Carl Fischer publishing)

• Back to Basics
• 1992 The Next Step (Manhattan Music)
• 1994 Contemporary Drummer + One (Manhattan Music)
• 1997 Ultimate Play-Along for Drums level I vol. I (Alfred Publishing Company)
• 1997 Ultimate Play-Along for Drums level I vol. II (Alfred Publishing Company)
• 2001 In Session with the Dave Weckl Band (Carl Fischer Music)
• 2004 Exercises for natural playing (Carl Fischer Music)

• Official site
• Interview with Dave in web magazine Drummer's Digest

• Vorticity Music
• Dave Weckl at OnlineDrummer.com - Contains video clips.