Stephen K. Gadd was born on September 4th, 1945, in
Rochester, New York. Steve's uncle was his first drum instructor, and began teaching him when Steve was only three. Gadd enjoyed playing the marches, especially those of
Sousa. He attended the
Manhattan School of Music for two years before going back to Rochester to attend
Eastman School of Music. Soon after this, he was drafted into the
army where he played with the corps band for three years. Not long after, he joined
Chick Corea's band
Return To Forever.
He is known for mixing elements of
orchestral composition with his
jazz style, and for having
perfect technique. His approach to the drum kit is highly organized, while simultaneously
spontaneous and highly energetic. Gadd played sessions invloving several types of music extensively in
New York studios from the early 70s onwards and was known for being able to provide both unique and excellent
rhythms and accomplinaments for a broad range of musics. He developed a unique style of
linear drumming, in which no two drums are sounded at the same time, and often involving
incredibly rapid inter-drum patterns. He played sessions with a range of musicians, from
Charles Mingus, to
George Benson to
Paul Simon, whom he toured with in the early nineties, playing drums and directing the
percussion players in the
Rhythm Of The Saints tour.
Many early
drum machines used his sound, being that he was totally clean, but tuned his drums to specific notes, often with
sympathetic harmonies in the tunings of the
resonant heads. In 1976 he played with funk band
Stuff, which also included
Eric Gale and
Richard Tee. More recently, Gadd has continued a busy music life, playing in the studio and with the
Manhattan Jazz Quintet.
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/gadd_steve/bio.jhtml
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