Steve Pemberton 73 connections

Jazz drummer/percussionist Steve Pemberton has gained an international reputation as an incredibly versatile and sensitive musician. Looking at his background, it becomes obvious that he is constantly reinventing himself, refusing to be pigeonholed as a single-faceted artist.

Graduating Summa Cum Laude from the prestigious Berklee College of Music, he then began a world-hopping career, performing in concert and on television throughout Europe, North & South America and Asia. Most recently Steve held the position as jazz drumset specialist & utility percussionist with the prestigious Boston Pops Orchestra, and can still be seen on many of their A&E and PBS "Evening at Pops" TV broadcast reruns, some under the baton of film composer and conductor John Williams. Prior to his three-year association with the Pops, he held down the drum chair and was featured as a member of ten-time nominated and two-times Grammy Award winner Peter Nero's Trio for sixteen years. Some recent performance highlights include Patti Page's Grammy Award winning CD for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance, "Patti Page - Live at Carnegie Hall", recording and live performances with some of LA's world class jazz artists including Bill Watrous, Tom Scott and Pete Christlieb, and a stint with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl for a Henry Mancini tribute. He has worked with over 125 orchestras worldwide, including Chicago, San Francisco, St. Louis, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and the National Symphony.

Prominent jazz artists that Steve has performed, recorded and/or toured with include Mel Torme, Grover Washington, Jr., Doc Severinsen, the Count Basie and Quincy Jones Orchestras, John Pizzarelli, and the New York Voices. He has also collaborated with artists as diverse as Patti Austin, Jeffrey Osborne, Diahann Carroll, Vic Damone, Ray Charles, Johnny Mathis, Melissa Manchester, the Canadian Brass, Marvin Hamlisch, the Swingle Singers, Skitch Henderson, Kathie Lee Gifford, Frankie Avalon, Shirley Jones, Jerry Vale, Maureen McGovern, Peabo Bryson, Crystal Gayle, Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Nell Carter, Margaret Whiting, Byron Stripling, Pattie Darcy Jones, The Smothers Brothers and even The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. TV credits include performances on HBO, CBS, ABC, A&E and PBS, in addition to many jingles and TV/radio spots. In addition, Mr. Pemberton has also had the privilege of performing at the White House for Presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush (Sr.), Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford.

Mr. Pemberton also maintains an active professional life where he resides in Los Angeles, as a performer, educator, contractor, composer and arranger. He can be found working on the stages and in the studios of Southern California, being heard on feature films such as "Cinderella Man" (Universal) and "Bewitched" (Sony/Columbia). In addition, Steve still finds time to tour, traveling the world giving concerts and offering clinics for percussion manufacturers Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth Drumsticks & Mallets and REMO Drumheads & Percussion Products. He has been invited as an adjudicator, guest clinician and consultant for various performing arts programs, including the NARAS Grammy in the Schools program and Philadelphia's "Jazz in the Schools" program, and has been asked to perform at numerous national music conventions and leading music universities.

His skills as a published composer of percussion music have led to his work being premiered and performed at such institutions as the Interlochen Arts Academy, New England Conservatory of Music, University of Miami and the Percussive Arts Society's International Convention (PASIC).

Mr. Pemberton's musical approach to the drums has been noted in many press reviews. The Washington Post hailed his "show-stopping solo" at the Kennedy Center, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote, "Pemberton's solo was an artistic exploration of timbre and articulation at soft and softer dynamics." Other reviews have noted "drummer Pemberton maintained interest through all of his turn, exploring every resource of his instrument from rim to skins. He also managed some delicate brush work...", "Pemberton used effective rhythms, varying tone colors and dynamics to create an enjoyable solo, so unlike most percussionists who rely on maniacal pounding to elicit a reaction from the audience...", "Pemberton proved to be a percussionist in the mold of Buddy Rich."

Curently Drum Instructor at "LAMA", an accredited college, and an intense, vocational institution focused on developing working musicians.