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Tommy Igoe
is one of today's most successful and diverse
drummers.
Born in New
Jersey, Igoe comes from a musical family. Ever since
he began drumming as a 2-year-old, it was clear that
music would be Tommy's passion. "He had to be
dragged away from the drums," said his father,
Sonny. During his early years, Igoe spent 15 years
studying classical and jazz piano. He credits this
experience as having a huge role in crafting his
unique career.
Igoe captured just about every
junior and senior high school drumming award on the
East coast and went on to tour with the Glenn Miller
Band when he was just 18. In 1986, his career took
off when he became active in the New York recording
scene, and simultaneously joined the band
Blood, Sweat and Tears as their touring
drummer.
Through the
years that followed, Igoe quickly moved on to other
great bands and artists including: New York
Voices, Stanley Jordan,
Art Garfunkel and Dave
Grusin. This continued until 1997, when he
was asked to help create the drumset book for what
would become a legendary production: The
Lion King on Broadway.
 His
book, which integrated the modern drumset with
traditional African percussion, established a new
benchmark for the drumset voice within musical
theatre. It is currently being performed worldwide
by many official companies. Igoe is an associate
conductor of the Broadway production.
Igoe's
latest and most exciting project, The
Birdland Big Band, is currently the hottest
weekly music event in New York. The band plays every
week at the legendary Birdland Jazz Club and every
show sells out.
"The
reaction to this band has been overwhelming," says
Tommy. "We're dedicated to bringing large-ensemble
jazz to a new 21st century audience and it's obvious
that music lovers have been waiting for a band like
this. The fans are blown away and they can't get
enough." The Birdland Big Band will be recording an
all-new studio CD in 2011.
Education plays a huge part in Igoe's musical
genome. Says Igoe, "My father was one of the most
respected drum teachers of any era, so I think it's
in my blood."
In 2004,
Igoe created what has since become a legendary
fixture in any serious drummers collection:
Groove Essentials�. This groundbreaking work
has been credited with influencing more teachers and
educators than any educational publication of the
last 50 years.
 Groove
Essentials has gone on to become required
method work at many universities and is being used
to introduce young players to new styles they may
not discover on their own. There are currently more
a quarter million copies in use around the world.
Igoe has long been known for his technical
facility on the drumset. This lead to the creation
of Great Hands for a Lifetime, a DVD that
helps build a strong technical foundation for a
drummer's hands.
The product
spotlights Tommy's "Lifetime Warmup," along with
other technical influences such as Drum Corps,
concert percussion, and hand percussion. Great
Hands for a Lifetime is currently the drum
world's number one selling educational product.
"I'm a
hybrid of all these wonderful experiences," says
Igoe. "I was taught a great rudimental routine to
keep my hands in shape that I wanted to share ig
with drummers around the world. The Lifetime Warmup�
is what I credit with keeping my chops healthy and
strong over three decades of drumming and now
everyone can benefit from it."
The new DVD
and book, Fillosophy�, will be the third
installment in the Groove Essentials
series. The product will bring Tommy's
unique focus and insight into the oft-confusing
world of fills and solos.
Igoe says
"this work could be very important to drummers since
so many students I've met believe that their fills
and solos are consistently weak, boring, or just
plain bad. A real opportunity exists to offer an
alternative approach to mastering fills and solos
using the Groove Essentials methodology."
You can learn more about Tommy Igoe, view his
itinerary, and purchase products at his Web site,
www.tommyigoe.com . Igoe is also active on
Facebook at
www.facebook.com/tommyigoe.
Igoe
exclusively plays and endorses the highest quality
instruments: Yamaha drums and hardware, Vic Firth
sticks, Evans drumheads, Zildjian cymbals, and
percussion from LP and Rhythm Tech.
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