Dave Weckl & Tom Kennedy set to rock Türkiye! American drummer Dave Weckl and revered bassist Tom Kennedy are scheduled to perform in Istanbul on October 22nd. They will be joined by saxophonist Eric Marienthal and keyboardist Stu Mindeman.
Weckl, commonly know as onee of the top 25 drummers in history, boasts a remarkable career that has spanned over 35 years. For more than 30 years, Dave Weckl has developed and maintained a reputation as one of the great living drummers.
For this, he has received numerous accolades and honors. Born in St. Louis Missouri, on January 8th, 1960, Dave started playing drums around the age of 8. During his high school years, Dave received many awards from the NAJE (National Association of Jazz Educators) for outstanding performances in his high school’s competition-winning jazz band. He was involved with numerous local groups from a very young age while studying with St. Louis-area teachers Bob Matheny and Joe Buerger.
While playing at the clubs in New York City with a band called Nite Sprite, Dave started to receive praise from established studio musicians such as Steve Kahn, and Michael Brecker, and especially drumming great Peter Erskine. It was Peter who recommended Dave for his first ‘big gig’ in town with a group called French Toast, forerunner to the Michel Camilo band.
From this group, legendary bassist Anthony Jackson recommended Dave for the prestigious Simon and Garfunkel reunion tour in 1983. After this tour, Dave was regularly being called for radio and TV jingles, soundtrack sessions, and top recording dates with such artists as George Benson, Peabo Bryson, Diana Ross, and Robert Plant.
In 1985, Michael Brecker suggested to Chick Corea that he look into Dave’s services for his new Elektric Band. That was the beginning of a seven-year relationship with both the Elektric and Akoustic Bands, where nine recordings and three videos were produced, including a Grammy for the first Akoustic Band release.
As a solo artist, Dave has recorded and produced nine recordings to date, including GRP/MCA solo releases Masterplan, Heads Up, and Hardwired. In 1998, Dave realized his long-time goal of forming a world-touring band. The Dave Weckl Band released five studio records, including Rhythm Of The Soul, Synergy, Transition, Perpetual Motion, and Multiplicity. The band also released a hot live album, LIVE (and very plugged in), and a compilation of DWB and instructional videos entitled The Zone.
More recently, Dave has enjoyed taking on more sideman work. He regularly joins guitarists Mike Stern, Chuck Loeb, Oz Noy, and Chris Minh Doky and the Nomads, among others. He also teaches at the annual Drum Fantasy Camp. Additionally, Dave has many instructional videos/DVDs and play-along packages on the market.
Kennedy, a prominent artist in both acoustic and electric bass, started his musical journey at the age of nine and has collaborated with jazz icons including Freddie Hubbard, James Moody, Nat Adderley, Sonny Stitt, and Stan Kenton.
The pair will take the stage at IF Performance Hall Besiktas as part of their ongoing tour, which is being organized by event planner Epifoni. Dave Weckl & Tom Kennedy set to rock Türkiye and all of us can’t be more excited!