About Vince

I was born in Hartford, CT and have been playing drums since age three and gigging professionally since fifteen. I began taking drumset lessons with Michael Savage in CT. As I grew, I developed a passion for classical, world, and afro-cuban percussion and studied at The Hartt School of Music in West Hartford, CT, and later Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. I studied under some amazing musicians including Kim Plainfield, Ralph Peterson, Dave Samuels, and Mike Mangini. I have performed in several bands, orchestras, and chamber ensembles throughout New England, New York, California, and Colorado. Currently I teach, record, and perform throughout the Northeast. I live in Staten Island, NYC with my wife and two awesome dogs.

Here is a partial list of teachers I have studied with, either privately or in group settings:

Benjamin Toth
Chair of Percussion, The Hartt School

Michael Savage
Savage Bros. Band

Kim Plainfield
Bill Connors, Pointer Sisters, Bill O’Connell

Mike Mangini
Dream Theater, Steve Via, Extreme

Sergio Bellotti
The Platters, Nathan East, Mike Stern, Wayne Krantz

Kenwood Dennard
Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Jaco Pastorius, Quincy Jones

Ralph Peterson
Art Blakey, Wynton Marsalis, Craig Harris, Walter Davis

Dave Samuels
Frank Zappa, Caribbean Jazz Project, Pat Metheny

John Amira
Hatian Drumming Virtuoso

Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovik
Composer

Mark Guiliana
David Bowie, St. Vincent, Avishai Cohen

And here are some amazing masterclasses I’ve attended:

Virgil Donati

Dennis Chambers

Dave Weckl

Jeff Hamilton

Horacio ‘El Negro’ Hernandez

Terry Bozzio

Chad Wackerman

Akira Jimbo