Michael Waldrop (''Née'' Michael Van Waldrop, October 1, 1961) is an American

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer' ...

percussionist A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Excl ...

, composer and music educator. He is notable as a virtuoso percussionist in both jazz and classical idioms; with equal focus on drumset and keyboard percussion (

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbr ...

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist, ...

)."The Sixth Chakra” by Michael Waldrop. Performed by Michael Waldrop on Marimba, 2012. Vic Firth artist site for Michael Waldrop Since 2014 he has been a recording artist for

Origin Records Origin Records is a jazz and classical music record label founded by drummer John Bishop in 1997.de Barros, Paul (July 2, 2002)Small label, big noise: Ballard's Origin Records drumming up national interest Seattle Times. With the help of drummer M ...

Early life, musical education and influences

Atlanta, Ithaca and University of North Texas

Michael Waldrop grew up in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

listening to the radio and popular music.Sargsyan, Simon. "Interview with Michael Waldrop: Jazz has made a terrible mistake by cultivating an elitist mentality". JassBluesNews.Space. Feb. 11, 2018 He showed an aptitude for drumming along with the music which lead to parents purchasing him a small drumset at age 4.Hartley, Meredith. "Episode 24: Time Within Itself – Interview with Dr. Michael Waldrop" Hidden History of Business Podcast. January 8, 2016 He later moved to

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County, New York, Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca m ...

in 1970. In 1974 he heard and met

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York ...

who made a tremendous impression on Waldrop. His first music studies were with Richard Lajza, Waldrop also studied privately with Bill Youhass and

Gordon Stout Gordon Stout (born 1952) is an American percussionist, composer, and educator specializing in the marimba. He studied composition with Joseph Schwantner, Samuel Adler, and Warren Benson, and percussion with James Salmon and John Beck. Many ...

. During his time with Stout in Ithaca, Waldrop studied

and

. By the age of 17, Waldrop started playing professionally on drum set and within a year was with fusion guitarist

David Torn David M. Torn (born May 26, 1953) is an American guitarist, composer, and producer. He is known for combining electronic and acoustic instruments and for his use of looping. Background Torn has contributed to recordings by artists as diverse ...

. After graduating high school, Waldrop was accepted to the

University of North Texas College of Music The University of North Texas College of Music, based in Denton, is a comprehensive music school among the largest enrollment of any music institution accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. It developed the first jazz studies ...

. He studied with Robert Schietroma, Ron Fink, Ed Soph, Henry Okstel, Kal Cherry, Michael Carney, and

Gregg Bissonette Gregg Bissonette (born June 9, 1959) is an American jazz and rock drummer and vocalist. He is the brother of bassist Matt Bissonette, with whom he frequently collaborates. He has played on albums by dozens of recording artists, including David ...

. Waldrop performed with notable jazz artists such as

Dan Haerle Dan Haerle (born July 23, 1937) is a jazz pianist, composer, author and teacher, based in Denton, Texas. He is professor emeritus of Jazz Studies at the University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research univ ...

, Michael Cain,

Bob Belden James Robert Belden (October 31, 1956 – May 20, 2015) was an American saxophonist, arranger, composer, bandleader, and producer. As a composer he may be best known for his Grammy Award winning orchestral jazz recording, ''Black Dahlia'' (2001 ...

and Jay Saunders. After completing his undergraduate work at UNT, Waldrop returned to the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

area and performed extensively. He played in Caprice Fox’s group for almost a year and freelanced with a long list of others. At this time Waldrop was to make an important artistic connection with fusion guitarist

Jimi Tunnell Jimi Tunnell is an American guitarist and vocalist from Denton, Texas. Although he is known as a guitarist, his career began as a jazz trumpeter. Tunnell has worked with Yukihiro Takahashi, Laurie Anderson, Steps Ahead, and Member's Only. H ...

Professional career

Memphis, Chicago, international touring

In 1987 Waldrop started work on a master's degree in jazz performance at the

University of Memphis } The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students. The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering ...

where he studied with jazz pianist Gene Rush. In the Mid-South he performed with Phineas Newborn, Della Reese, Frank Gambale,

Eliane Elias Eliane Elias
BrowseBiography.com, 20 November 2011; retrieved 10 September 2014. is a Brazilian

Randy Brecker Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock, and R&B. Early life Brecker was born on N ...

, Kathy Kosins and

Marvin Stamm Marvin Louis Stamm (born May 23, 1939) is an American jazz trumpeter. Career Stamm was born in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Stamm began on trumpet at age twelve. He attended North Texas State University, where he was a member of the O ...

. In 1989 Waldrop recorded on the soundtrack to the movie

Christmas Vacation ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' is a 1989 American Christmas comedy film and the third installment in ''National Lampoon'' magazine's ''Vacation'' film series. ''Christmas Vacation'' was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, written and ...

. During this time he also studied with drummer Keith Copeland. Waldrop later taught jazz percussion and jazz theory at the University of Memphis. He continues to perform and record with the Jazz Orchestra of the Delta and has a close musical relationship with composer/arranger Jack Cooper. After completion of his master's degree In 1990 Waldrop relocated to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

and worked strictly as a performer in the

Chicago metropolitan area The Chicago metropolitan area, also colloquially referred to as Chicagoland, is a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States. Encompassing 10,286 sq mi (28,120 km2), the metropolitan area includes the city of Chicago, its suburbs and hi ...

and playing on ads for the likes of Pillsbury and others companies. He performed with a long list of prominent jazz artists in Chicago to which included saxophonist Mike Smith and jazz violinist

Johnny Frigo Johnny Frigo (December 27, 1916 – July 4, 2007) was an American jazz violinist, bassist and songwriter. He appeared in the 1940s as a violinist before working as a bassist. He returned to the violin in the 1980s and enjoyed a comeback, recordin ...

. In early 1992 Waldrop accepted a position with the international touring company of '' 42nd Street.'' He spent much of 1992 and 1993 performing in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

, and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

with that show.

Professional work since 1993

Waldrop accepted a Doctoral fellowship to the

in 1993 and completed the coursework for the

Doctor of Musical Arts The Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) is a doctoral academic degree in music. The DMA combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization (usually music performance, music composition, or conducting) with graduate-level academic study ...

in 1996; the degree was completed in 1999 with a focus on marimba. During Waldrop's second tenure in

Denton, Texas Denton is a city in and the county seat of Denton County, Texas, United States. With a population of 139,869 as of 2020, it is the 27th-most populous city in Texas, the 197th-most populous city in the United States, and the 12th-most populous ...

he played, toured and recorded with the

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nominated UNT One O'Clock Lab Band. He can be heard on the recordings ''Lab 94'', ''Standard Time'' and ''Fifty Years''. Since 1993 Waldrop has performed on drum set and multiple percussion instruments with a lengthy roster of artists including

Jon Hendricks John Carl Hendricks (September 16, 1921 – November 22, 2017), known professionally as Jon Hendricks, was an American jazz lyricist and singer. He is one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and r ...

, Tim Ries, Rich Perry,

Greg Gisbert Gregory Lyle Gisbert (born February 2, 1966 in Mobile, Alabama) is an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist.Gary W. Kennedy, ''"Greg Gisbert''. '' Grove Jazz'' online Early years and school Gisbert played drums with his father as a child ...

and

Wayne Horvitz Wayne Horvitz (born 1955) is an American composer, keyboardist and record producer. He came to prominence in the Downtown scene of 1980s and '90s New York City, where he met his future wife, the singer, songwriter and pianist Robin Holcomb. He ...

. In 1999 he toured the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

with internationally acclaimed composer Kamran Ince. From 1999–2004, while in Colorado, he was Principal Percussionist with the Grand Junction Symphony as well as director of the Western Colorado Jazz Orchestra. From 2006-2009 he served as the drummer for the Bob Curnow Big Band; Waldrop's drumming is heard on the Curnow's critically acclaimed CD ''The Music of Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays - Volume II''. Waldrop currently works extensively in the Northwest region of United States as both a commercial, classical and jazz artist. The Michael Waldrop Big Band was featured at the international Jazz Educator's Network(JEN) conventions in JEN 2016 (Louisville) and JEN 2019 (Reno).

Origin Records recording artist

Since 2014 Waldrop has been a recording artist for

. Most notable are his two CD's with Origin entitled '' Time Within Itself'' and '' Origin Suite''.Richens, Mark. "Michael Waldrop to premiere new album, Time Within Itself, for University of Memphis Jazz Week". The Commercial Appeal. March 4, 2015 Both recordings have been reviewed internationally in

Down Beat ' (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 Ch ...

Jazz Journal ''Jazz Journal'' is a British jazz magazine established in 1946 by Sinclair Traill (1904–1981). It was first published in London under the title ''Pick Up'', which Traill founded as a locus for serious jazz criticism in Britain.Roberta Freund S ...

, the IAJRC Journal as well as many other periodicals; both were fixtures on the JazzWeek radio airplay charts in 2015 and in 2018. Waldrop plays drum set and vibraphone on the two releases.

'' Time Within Itself''

The '' Time Within Itself'' CD was premiered in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the County seat, seat of Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 Uni ...

on March 7, 2015 by the Jazz Orchestra of the Delta. The album had its Northwest U.S. premiere on July 27, 2015 at Tula's Jazz Club in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

. The album was also performed at the Jazz Education Network International Conference in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana borde ...

on January 9, 2016 which included guest artists Brad Dutz and Billy Hulting. The music from the ''Time Within Itself'' CD has acquired significant international recognition. The Swingin' Paradise Jazz Orchestra in

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.4 ...

performed ''Tunnell Vision'' on July 18, 2016 at Musasino Big Band Jazz Festival. Drumhead Magazine published a two part feature of transcribed solos and drum parts from the ''Time Within Itself'' CD starting with the June 2015 (#50) edition.

submitted the ''Time Within itself'' CD into the first round ballot of the

58th Annual Grammy Awards The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 201 ...

for the categories of Best Arrangement Instrumental or a Cappella, Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, and Best Instrumental Composition.

'' Origin Suite''

Unlike '' Time Within Itself'', '' Origin Suite'' (CD) is a more fusion oriented." Notable music reviewer Brian Morton gave ''Origin Suite'' 4 of 5 stars in his

review ( U.K.). Morton writes, "...It's remarkable how seamless and entire it all sounds. A very impressive project and one to shelve among the keepers, alongside Waldrop's fine earlier '' Time Within Itself''.".

submitted the ''Time Within itself'' CD into the first round ballot of the

61st Annual Grammy Awards The 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 10, 2019, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys hosted. During her opening monologue, Keys brought out Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and f ...

for the categories of Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, Best Instrumental Composition and Best Album Engineering.

Teaching and education career

Michael Waldrop has been teaching at the collegiate level for over the past 20 years. From 1999 to 2004 he held a full-time teaching position at Mesa State College in

Grand Junction, Colorado Grand Junction is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 65,560 at the 2020 United States Census, making Grand Junction the 17th mo ...

. In 2004 Waldrop accepted a position as Professor of Percussion at the

University of Toledo The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a public research university in Toledo, Ohio. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, which includes the University of ...

and was there until 2006. Since 2006 Waldrop has held the position of Director of Percussion Studies at

Eastern Washington University Eastern Washington University (EWU) is a public university in Cheney, Washington. It also offers programs at a campus in EWU Spokane at the Riverpoint Campus and other campus locations throughout the state. Founded in 1882, the university is ...

. Waldrop is an educational clinician/artist for Yamaha and the

Vic Firth Company Everett Joseph "Vic" Firth (June 2, 1930 – July 26, 2015) was an American musician and the founder of Vic Firth Company (formerly Vic Firth, Inc.), a company that makes percussion sticks and mallets. Biography Vic Firth was born June 2, ...

making appearances throughout the United States. His compositions are published by Drop6 Media through Row-loff Publishing.

Timeline of professional/musical career

ImageSize = width:1000 height:200 PlotArea = left:150 bottom:120 top:0 right:14 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1978 till:31/12/2021 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1978 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1978 Colors = id:in value:yellow legend:Ithaca NY id:ny value:purple legend:New York id:tx value:green legend:Denton Texas id:ci value:pink legend:Chicago Ill id:mem value:blue legend:Memphis Tennessee id:gj value:red legend:Grand Junction id:to value:orange legend:Toledo Ohio id:sw value:claret legend:Spokane WA LineData = at:01/01/1981 color:black layer:back at:01/01/1986 color:black layer:back at:01/01/1991 color:black layer:back at:01/01/1996 color:black layer:back at:01/01/2001 color:black layer:back at:01/01/2005 color:black layer:back at:01/01/2011 color:black layer:back at:01/09/2016 color:black layer:back at:31/12/2021 color:black layer:back PlotData = width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,–4) bar:Ithaca N.Y. from:01/10/1978 till: 01/10/1979 color:in bar:Denton Texas from:01/10/1979 till: 01/10/1984 color:tx bar:New York from:01/10/1984 till: 08/10/1987 color:ny bar:Memphis Tennessee from:08/10/1987 till: 08/10/1990 color:mem bar:Chicago Ill from:08/10/1990 till: 01/06/1993 color:ci bar:Denton Texas from:01/06/1993 till: 01/06/1997 color:tx bar:Memphis Tennessee from:01/08/1997 till: 01/06/1999 color:mem bar:Grand Junction from:01/08/1999 till: 01/06/2004 color:gj bar:Toledo OH from:01/06/2004 till: 01/06/2006 color:to bar:Spokane WA from:01/06/2006 till: end color:sw

Select discography

As leader or featured artist

*2021 ''

Time Frames ''Time Frames'' is a 2021 album by Michael Waldrop, his third release with Origin Records. The recording is a crossover from classical to new music, jazz, minimalism and world music. The album was chosen for the 2021 AllMusic Guide Top 50 List of ...

'' ( Origin Classical) *2019 ''Triangularity'' reissue with Bonus Tracks - Michael Waldrop (CD Baby) *2018 '' Origin Suite'' - Michael Waldrop (

Origin Origin(s) or The Origin may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics and manga * ''Origin'' (comics), a Wolverine comic book mini-series published by Marvel Comics in 2002 * ''The Origin'' (Buffy comic), a 1999 ''Buffy the Vampire Sl ...

)Origin Suite, Origin Records web site
/ref> *2015 '' Time Within Itself'' - Michael Waldrop Big Band (

) *2002 ''Triangularity'' - Michael Waldrop (Rhythmworks)

As sideman or composer

*2021 '' Songs of Berlin'' - Berlin Jazz Orchestra (GAM) *2014 ''Welcome to Stoutland'' -

and Friends (Resonator) *2011 ''The Music of Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays: Vol II'' - Bob Curnow Big Band (Sierra Records) *2011 ''Live At The Levitt Shell'' - Jazz Orchestra of the Delta (JOD) *2010 '' The Chamber Wind Music of Jack Cooper'' - Jack Cooper (

Centaur A centaur ( ; grc, κένταυρος, kéntauros; ), or occasionally hippocentaur, is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse. Centaurs are thought of in many Greek myths as bein ...

) *2007 '' Voices'' ( Select-O-Hits) *1997 ''Fifty Years'' - North Texas Jazz (UNT Jazz) *1994 ''Lab 94'' - University of North Texas

One O'Clock Lab Band One O'Clock Lab Band is an ensemble of the Jazz Studies division at the University of North Texas College of Music in Denton, Texas. Since the 1970s, the band's albums have received seven Grammy Award nominations, including two for ''Lab 2009''. ...

(UNT Jazz) *1994 ''One O’Clock Standard Time: Remembering Gene Hall'' - University of North Texas

(UNT Jazz)

Film, television, media

As instrumentalist

* 1989: ''

'' ( Warner Bros.) * 2016
''Avista: 2016 Way To Save'' - ad campaign

Artists worked with (partial list)

* Donald Brown *

Joyce Cobb Joyce Renee Cobb (born June 2, 1945) is an American singer specializing in jazz and R&B. She is closely associated with traditional blues and jazz in the style of Memphis Minnie, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, and Sarah Vaughan. She has had a wi ...

Eliane Elias Eliane Elias
BrowseBiography.com, 20 November 2011; retrieved 10 September 2014. is a Brazilian

* Frank Gambale *

* Kamran Ince * Kathy Kosins * Phineas Newborn * Della Reese *

Discography (reviewed)

References

External links

* * * *
Michael Waldrop
at

Rate Your Music Rate Your Music (often abbreviated to RYM) is an online collaborative database of music releases and films. Users can catalog items from their personal collection, review them, and assign ratings in a five-star rating system. The site also feat ...

Michael Waldrop
at

Eastern Washington University Department of Music
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Waldrop, Michael 1961 births American jazz bandleaders Big band bandleaders American jazz educators Living people University of Memphis alumni American jazz composers University of North Texas alumni People from Ithaca, New York Origin Records artists Centaur Records artists Jazz musicians from New York (state)