Peter Charles Magadini (January 25, 1942 – August 13, 2023) was an American drummer, percussionist, educator and author. He is known for his body of work (instructional books and videos) concerning the comprehension and execution of musical

polyrhythm Polyrhythm () is the simultaneous use of two or more rhythms that are not readily perceived as deriving from one another, or as simple manifestations of the same meter. The rhythmic layers may be the basis of an entire piece of music (cross-rh ...

s, especially the books '' The Musician's Guide to Polyrhythms'' and '' Polyrhythms for the Drumset''. Magadini has recorded and performed with

George Duke George Martin Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American keyboardist, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He worked with numerous artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and as ...

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...

Bobbie Gentry Bobbie Gentry (born Roberta Lee Streeter; July 27, 1942) is an American retired singer-songwriter. She was one of the first female artists in the United States to compose and produce her own material. Gentry rose to international fame in 1967 ...

Al Jarreau Alwin Lopez Jarreau (March 12, 1940 – February 12, 2017) was an American singer and songwriter. His 1981 album '' Breakin' Away'' spent two years on the ''Billboard'' 200 and is considered one of the finest examples of the Los Angeles pop and ...

Buddy DeFranco Boniface Ferdinand Leonard "Buddy" DeFranco (February 17, 1923 – December 24, 2014) was an 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 1970s. ...

John Handy John Richard Handy III (born February 3, 1933) is an American jazz musician most commonly associated with the alto saxophone. He also sings and plays the tenor saxophone, tenor and baritone saxophone, baritone saxophone, saxello, clarinet, and ...

and

Mose Allison Mose John Allison Jr. (November 11, 1927 – November 15, 2016) was an American jazz and blues pianist, singer, and songwriter. He became notable for playing a unique mix of blues and modern jazz, both singing and playing piano. After moving to N ...

Biography

Magadini was born in

Great Barrington, Massachusetts Great Barrington is a New England town, town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,172 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Bot ...

, to Charles and Ruth Magadini.Alleyne, Katherine. March 1984. "Pete Magadini" ''Modern Drummer Magazine''. p.29. At the age of six, the family moved to

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...

, where he played in the elementary school band. Magadini's professional career began recording singles for

Lee Hazlewood Barton Lee Hazlewood (July 9, 1929 – August 4, 2007) was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s ...

and

Lester Sill Lester Sill (January 13, 1918 – October 31, 1994) was a United States record label executive, music publisher and recording artist manager within the West Coast Rock & Roll, West Coast R&B and Surf genres. Sill rose to become the president of ...

while attending high school in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

.Miller, Mark. June 1, 1978. "Pete Magadini" ''Downbeat Magazine''. p.33. In Phoenix he studied with his first and most influential teacher Donald Bothwell and was heavily influenced by the playing of

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He wo ...

. In 1960, Magadini studied drum set with Roy Burns at the Henry Adler Drum School in New York City. He then enrolled at the

San Francisco Conservatory of Music The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) is a private music conservatory in San Francisco, California, United States. As of 2024, it had more than 440 students. History The San Francisco Conservatory of Music was founded in 1917 by Ada ...

where he studied timpani with

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

timpanist Roland Kohloff, graduating with a

Bachelor of Music A Bachelor of Music (BMus; sometimes conferred as Bachelor of Musical Arts) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. The degree may be awarded for performance, music ed ...

degree in 1965. During his time in San Francisco he formed a trio with keyboardist

, also a student at the Conservatory, and performed with the

Oakland Symphony Orchestra The Oakland Symphony is an American orchestra based in Oakland, California. The orchestra is resident at the Paramount Theatre (Oakland, California). Founded in 1933, the orchestra filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 1986. Musicians from the orc ...

. In 1973 he graduated from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

with

Master of Music The Master of Music (MM or MMus) is, as an academic title, the first graduate degree in music awarded by universities and conservatories. The MM combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization (usually performance in singing or i ...

in Percussion and Performance – "w.distinction". In 1968, while teaching at his alma mater, Magadini was awarded a fellowship to perform with The Berkshire Music Festival Orchestra at

Tanglewood Tanglewood is a music venue and Music festival, festival in the towns of Lenox, Massachusetts, Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. It has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony ...

. The next year he moved to Los Angeles where he taught drums at the Hollywood Professional Drum Shop and played with the

Don Menza Don Menza (born April 22, 1936) is an American jazz saxophonist. Career Menza was born in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, where he attended Grover Cleveland High School (Buffalo, New York), Grover Cleveland High School. After serving in the U.S. ...

quartet. Magadini toured with

through 1969 before joining

' first band as a solo artist. After touring with Ross from 1970 to 1971, he attended the

, receiving a

degree in 1973.Johnson, B. Derek. August 3, 1977. "Encounter at Blondie's". ''Toronto Globe and Mail'' In 1976 Magadini produced ''Polyrhthym'', for IBis Records, featuring himself, George Duke, Don Menza and Dave Young. His second album, ''Bones Blues'', with Dave Young, Don Menza and Wray Downs, received a

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

nomination for Best Jazz Album of the Year in 1979. Magadini has also performed extensively with and produced recordings for blues-jazz vocalist Mose Allison. From 1988 to 1997, Magadini taught at

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

and

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

in Montreal and at the Brubeck Institute of the University of the Pacific from 2003 to 2007. He also maintained a private teaching practice in the California Bay Area. Magadini died on August 13, 2023, at the age of 81.

Polyrhythms

Magadini is widely known for his interest and expertise in

s as applied in western music and drum set. Originally inspired by his studies with

tabla A ''tabla'' is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as an accompaniment with other instruments a ...

player Mahapurush Misra in 1966, he has published two major works on the subject: '' Polyrhythms for the Drumset'' and ''Polyrhythms: The Musicians Guide'', (first published in two volumes in 1967) which Modern Drummer magazine ranked sixth in their survey of "The 25 Best Drum Books." In 2012 he published ''The Official 26 Polyrhythm Rudiments''.Magadini,Peter. June 2012 "Rudimental Symposium: The Official 26 Polyrhythm Rudiments – Part 2: Drags,Paradiddles,Ratamacues, and Open Rolls". "Modern Drummer Magazine".

Discography

Videos

2006 – ''Jazz Drums'' Hal Leonard Corporation, Hal Leonard

Books

* * * * * * * * * *

References

External links

Pete Magadini Official Website
*
Interview with Peter Magadini on the Jake Feinberg Show

Paiste Artist: Peter Magadini

Vic Firth Artist: Peter Magadini

Pete Magadini YouTube channel
*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnC9iihhvGc (Drum Solo) Cherokee
Pete Magadini – Hal Leonard Publishing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magadini, Peter 1942 births 2023 deaths 20th-century American drummers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century Canadian drummers American jazz drummers American male drummers American male jazz musicians Canadian jazz drummers Canadian male drummers Hard bop drummers Jazz musicians from Massachusetts Sackville Records artists People from Great Barrington, Massachusetts Drummers from Massachusetts