Mathew "Mat" Roger Marucci III (born July 2, 1945) is an American jazz drummer, composer, author, educator and

clinician A clinician is a health care professional typically employed at a skilled nursing facility or clinic. Clinicians work directly with patients rather than in a laboratory or as a researcher. A clinician may diagnose, treat, and otherwise care for pa ...

. He has numerous critically acclaimed recordings as leader, and his performing credits include: Jimmy Smith,

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige, Blue Note, Verve, CTI, Muse, and Concord. His collaborations with Jimmy Smith were notable, and produced the 1965 ...

, James Moody,

Eddie Harris Eddie Harris (October 20, 1934 – November 5, 1996) was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ. His best-k ...

Buddy DeFranco Boniface Ferdinand Leonard "Buddy" DeFranco (February 17, 1923 – December 24, 2014) was an Italian-American jazz clarinetist. In addition to his work as a bandleader, DeFranco led the Glenn Miller Orchestra for almost a decade in the 1960s and ...

Les McCann Leslie Coleman McCann (born September 23, 1935) is an American jazz pianist and vocalist. Feather, Leonard, and Ira Gitler (2007), ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'', p. 448. Oxford University Press. Early life Les McCann was born in ...

Pharoah Sanders Pharoah Sanders (born Ferrell Lee Sanders; October 13, 1940 – September 24, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. Known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of " sheets of sound", S ...

John Tchicai John Martin Tchicai ( ; 28 April 1936 – 8 October 2012) was a Danish free jazz saxophonist and composer. Biography Tchicai was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, to a Danish mother and a Congolese father. The family moved to Aarhus, where he st ...

and others.

Early life and education

Marucci was born in

Rome, New York Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States, located in the central part of the state. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Rome is one of two principal cities in the Utica–Rome Metropolitan ...

, into a musical family with professional histories on both sides. His sister, Mena Marucci Colella, was a concert pianist. His brother, Ed Marucci, was a professional trumpeter. Marucci was classically trained on the piano and switched to drums at the age of 19. After graduating high school from St. Aloysius Academy in 1963, Marucci studied drums with Dick Howard in

Auburn, New York Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States. Located at the north end of Owasco Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in Central New York, the city had a population of 26,866 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city of Cayuga County, ...

, from 1964–1965. At

Auburn Community College Cayuga Community College, formerly Cayuga County Community College, is a Public college, public community college in Cayuga County, New York, Cayuga County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is part of the State University of New York ...

, he received a degree in business management in 1965. Marucci relocated to the west coast in 1969. Attending

Sacramento City College Sacramento City College (SCC) is a public community college in Sacramento, California. SCC is part of the Los Rios Community College District and had an enrollment of 25,307 in 2009. It is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community ...

, he received his associate degree in music, in 1973. Marucci has lived between

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

and

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since attending college.

Professional career

In addition to recording and performing, Marucci has authored several books on drumming for both Ashley Publications and

Mel Bay Publications Mel Bay (February 25, 1913 – May 14, 1997) was an American musician and publisher best known for his series of music education books. His '' Encyclopedia of Guitar Chords'' remains a bestseller. Biography Early life Melbourne E. Bay was bo ...

. His recordings and books have garnered four and five star reviews in ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of grow ...

'', ''Jazziz'', ''

Modern Drummer ''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public. ''M ...

'', ''

DownBeat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' and ''

DRUM! {{italic title ''DRUM!'' is a North American educational drumming magazine. It features artist profiles, product reviews, lessons and advanced transcriptions covering rock, pop and related styles of music. The magazine was launched in 1991 w ...

'' magazines. Additionally, Marucci has written numerous articles on drumming for ''Modern Drummer'' and ''Downbeat'' magazines, and for the Percussive Arts Society's Percussive Notes. He has also written articles for several prominent jazz websites including AllAboutJazz.com. Contributing to jazz education, Marucci has been an adjunct professor in the Los Rios Community College District in the Sacramento area. He was also an applied music instructor at

American River College American River College (ARC) is a public community college in unincorporated Sacramento, California. It is part of the California Community Colleges System. History The college was opened in 1955 as American River Junior College, on the site ...

in Sacramento, California, and at the

Jazzschool The California Jazz Conservatory is a private conservatory in Berkeley, California. It is the only independent music conservatory in the United States devoted solely to jazz and related styles of music. Located in the Downtown Berkeley Arts Distr ...

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

, and an applied drum set instructor at the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society.

Personal life

Marucci married Diane in 1982. They have a son, Mathew Roger IV (born 1986), who is a semi-professional drummer. Their daughter, Therese Renee (born 1989), is an amateur pianist and flutist.

Discography

As leader

* ''Who Do Voodoo'' (1979) (Marco) * ''Lifeline'' (1980) (Marco) * ''Festival'' (1980) (Marco) * ''Extensity'' (1981) (Marco) * ''Avant-Bop'' (1983) (Tudor) * ''Body and Soul'' (1992) (

Timeless Timeless (or atemporal) or timelessness (or atemporality) may refer to: * Agelessness, the condition of being unaffected by the passage of time * Akal (Sikh term), timelessness in Sikhism * Eternity, timeless existence or infinite duration * Immo ...

) * ''Ulterior Motif'' (1998) (Jazz Inspiration) * ''Genesis'' (2003) – with Marcus Burger (

Cadence Jazz Cadence Jazz is an American record company and label specializing in noncommercial modern jazz. It is associated with '' Cadence Magazine''. Cadence Jazz was founded by Bob Rusch in Redwood, New York in 1980. By 2000 the label had issued more ...

) * ''3 the Hard Way'' (2006) – with

Doug Webb Doug Webb (born 1960) is an American jazz saxophonist. AllMusic credits/ref> Early life and education Born in Chicago, Webb moved to California with his family at the age of three. He graduated from Edison High School in Huntington Beach, Ca ...

(

CIMP Creative Improvised Music Projects, usually abbreviated CIMP or C.I.M.P., is an American jazz record company and label. It is associated with ''Cadence Magazine'' and Cadence Jazz Records. The label is noted for its minimal use of electronic proc ...

) * ''Change-Up'' (2007) – with Doug Webb (CIMP) * ''No Lesser Evil'' (2007) – with Doug Webb (Cadence Jazz) * ''Partners In Crime'' (2009) – with Doug Webb (Cadence Jazz) * ''Live at the Jazz Bakery'' (2010) (Marco) * ''Why Not'', with Doug Webb (2011) (Cadence Jazz) * ''Live at Jazz Central'' (2013) (CIMP) * ''Infinitesimal Flash Quartet Live!'' (2017) – co-leader with

(Cadence Jazz) * ''Inversions'' (2018) (CIMP)

As sideman

* ''Dreamworld'' (1991) – John Allen (Digital Futures) * ''Infinitesimal Flash'' (2000) – John Tchicai (Challenge/Buzz) * ''Daybreak'' (2001) – Jimmy Smith (

West Wind A west wind is a wind that originates in the west and blows in an eastward direction. Mythology and Literature In European tradition, it has usually been considered the mildest and most favorable of the directional winds. In Greek mythology, ...

) * ''Nice 'N' Easy'' (2007) – Valerie V (CDL) * ''Avenue of the Americas'' (2008) – David Haney (CIMP) * ''Live from Yoshi's'' (2009) – David Haney (Cadence Jazz) * ''Invitation to a Song'' (2009) – Bruce Kelly (Markane) * ''Live from Jazz Central'' (2015) – David Haney (CIMP)

Bibliography

Ashley Publications

* ''Progressive Studies for Drums'' (1971) * ''Progressive Studies in Jazz Drumming'' (1972)

Dorn Publications

* ''The 15-Minute Keep-in-Shape Workout'' (with CD) for ''Sticks & Mallets'' magazine (1998)

Mel Bay Publications

* ''15-Minute Warm-Ups for Drums'' (2000) * ''A Simple Approach to the Drum Rudiments'' (2003) * ''Drumstick Finger Systems and Techniques'' (2003) * ''Drumming Facts, Tips & Warm-Ups'' (2005) * ''Jazz Drumming Essentials and More'' (2010) * ''Essential Snare Drum Exercises'' (2018) * ''Mastering The Snare Drum'' (2018)