Vinnie Ruggiero is a cult figure in the drumming community. His playing was muscular and aggressive and grooved like crazy. Let’s not mince words–Vinnie Ruggiero was a motherfucker. I was introduced to his playing and teaching by one of my drum teachers, Rick Considine, who hails from Rochester, which is also where Ruggiero eventually settled. Rick was a student of Vinnie’s and as such, he had collected a bunch of his teaching materials.
These photocopied pages, which Ruggiero frequently gave his students, were part of the jazz drumming book he was working on called “The Book.” Rick shared a good amount of the pages in his collection with me. I found the material to be instructive, musical and inspiring.
When I heard that “The Book” was to be published, I pre-ordered a copy immediately. If you are serious about playing jazz, you should too. It’s 250 pages of material and called “Vinnie’s Book.”
I urge you to buy a copy. Here’s the link to purchase: Buy Vinnie’s Book Here
He first gained attention as one of the winners of Modern Drummer magazine's very first drum solo contest, judged by Rush's Neil Peart.
He's played with Alison Krauss, Curtis Stigers, Emily Remler, Joel Hoekstra, GE Smith, Andy York, Marshall Crenshaw, Tony Shanahan, The Drifters, The Marvelettes, Big Brother and The Holding Company, and many other artists.
His band, Mark Feldman's LEVEL5, released their debut, "The Sybil EP," in 2019. The EP features Oz Noy on guitar and Will Lee on bass.
For more info: linktr.ee/markfeldman
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