“A Dream Realized...Again.” In a career spanning over six decades, drummer Tony Palumbo has toured and played with some of the most popular and well-respected musicians of our time. Tony has shared the stage with Chuck Berry, The Shirrells, The Coasters, Vito and the Elegants, Julius LaRosa, Dion, and the great Tony Bennett. Growing up in Staten Island, New York in the 1940’s and 50’s, Tony was born into the Jazz and Big Band atmosphere. Tony found his love for music at age 13, when he first picked up a pair of drumsticks. Those drumsticks happened to be laying on a vintage pearl white Ludwig set in a music store in Newark, New Jersey. “I knew right then and there I wanted to be a drummer,” Tony remembers. “All I wanted to do was polish up those beautiful old drums and play.” With a little convincing and an apparent gleam in his eyes, Tony persuaded his dad to buy him that drum set. “The wheels were in motion”, Tony fondly recalls. Influenced by legends like Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, and Sonny Payne, Tony found his passion behind that kit. At age 18, Tony joined The Four Cheers; a well-traveled band from the late 50’s and early 60’s, led by saxophonist Tony Sotos. The quartet toured the mid-west and while performing one night, Chuck Berry happened to be in the audience. Berry was so impressed with the unique sound of the quartet that he offered them a long-standing gig backing him at Club Bandstand, an establishment owned by the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer. “We did two, two hour live radio shows a week and local TV appearances with Chuck Berry. We were on top of the world,” says Tony. When one of the members of The Four Cheers set roots in the Mid-West and opened his own club, the quartet disbanded. When the reality and abruptness of the music business hit home, Tony realized that he needed a safety net. “It was at this point that I started my dual career,” says Tony. “I began my path as a financial advisor in Manhattan and ultimately worked for large national banks in the city for 30 years. This afforded me the opportunity to start and raise a family and still continue to pursue my music.” Tony further honed his craft in New York under the expert tutelage of legendary hall of fame drummer, Joe Morello, of the Dave Brubeck Quartet. “I learned a lot from Morello,” Tony explains. “He helped form my creative style. A style that now crosses between Jazz, Latin Jazz, Rock, Samba, Bossanova, Blues, and Big Band.” Tony has also attended numerous master drum clinics held by Joe Porcaro, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Carmine Appice, and Virgil Donati. “No matter one’s age, there’s always something to be learned,” confesses Tony. Tony recorded a CD, “Direct Sound”, which is an homage to jazz standards. “Most of my recent work has been with the pianist-composer Jay D’Amico. His CD release “Tango Caliente” finished in the Top 20 Jazz Albums Chart for 2013,” says the drummer. Now retired from the financial game and living in Florida, Tony is poised and champing at the bit to rekindle his love affair with the drums, full time. “I’ve never stopped playing or practicing,” says Tony. “I’ve kept my chops sharp and have found work in my retirement with various artists.” Tony has recently formed an alliance with film screen arranger and pianist, Peter Dino and worked the popular Miami Boat Show, backing jazz vocalist Noreena Downey just last summer. Tony feels blessed to have been so fortunate to play with such quality musicians. “My plan now is to continue to surround myself with great musicians who have the same desire I have….to make wonderful music.” Tony beckons anyone with the same passion to look him up and “come along for the ride.” Godspeed.
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 01:21:13 +0000
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