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About Me

Hailed in the press as “One of the most versatile and musical drummers in music today,” Paul Wertico was a member of the Pat Metheny Group from 1983 to 2001. During that time, he won seven Grammy Awards (three for Best Jazz Fusion Performance, three for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance, and one for Best Rock Instrumental Performance), won numerous magazine polls, received several Gold records, and played drums & percussion on David Bowie’s hit recording (with the Pat Metheny Group), “This Is Not America.”

He has played with countless artists and has performed in all 50 states and in over 60 countries. Paul has also played drums and percussion on hundreds of recordings, including Paul Winter’s Grammy nominated release, Earth: Voices of a Planet, and on four of vocalist Kurt Elling’s Grammy nominated releases. He also hosted his own weekly radio show, Paul Wertico’s Wild World of Jazz, from 2010 to 2012.

Paul is also extremely active in the field of education. In addition to teaching drums privately for over 50 years, Paul is an Associate Professor of Jazz Studies at ���������ƽ��’s Chicago College of Performing Arts, and before becoming a full-time faculty member at CCPA for over 20 years, he served on the wind & percussion faculty of Northwestern University for 16 years. For over five decades, he’s conducted drum masterclasses, clinics, and workshops around the world and has written educational articles for numerous magazines. He also served on the Advisory Board and the Pro-Panel of Modern Drummer magazine, the Education Committee of the Jazz Institute of Chicago, and he served five terms on the Board of Governors of The Recording Academy Chicago Chapter.

In 2004, Paul was a Chicago Tribune “Chicagoan of the Year.” In 2010, the Cape Breton International Drum Festival honored him with a “Life Time Achievement Award” for his “Major Contribution To The World Of Drumming & Education,” and that year he was also a recipient of the Montréal Drum Fest’s “Lifetime Achievement Award.” As Musical Director for the crowdsourced TV video series Inventing The Future, Paul was nominated for a 2012-2013 Emmy Award in the “Outstanding Achievement In Interactivity” category by The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Midwest Chapter.  He's also the inventor of his signature product, TUBZ, made by Promark, who also makes the “Paul Wertico Signature Drum Stick”.

As a solo recording artist, Paul’s recordings have all received great critical praise and DownBeat magazine listed Paul’s CD, Impressions of a City, as one its “Best CDs of 2010.”  His DVD, Paul Wertico's Drum Philosophy, was named “One of the best drum videos of the last 25 years” by Modern Drummer magazine.  LA Weekly even wrote “His recent records, such as 2000’s Don’t Be Scared Anymore and the new StereoNucleosis, are stunning examples of the electronic, rhythmic and intellectual directions jazz could be going."

Some of his releases in the last several years as leader and co-leader include: a DVD & CD by David Cain & Paul Wertico entitled Feast for the Senses; a CD by Paul Wertico & Frank Catalano entitled Topics of Conversation; a CD by Fabrizio Mocata, Gianmarco Scaglia & Paul Wertico entitled Free the Opera!; a DVD & CD by Wertico Cain & Gray entitled Sound Portraits (winner of Best Live Performance Album in the 13th Annual Independent Music Awards (2014); Wertico Cain & Gray’s 2nd CD entitled Out In SPACE; Wertico Cain & Gray's 2nd DVD & 3rd CD entitled Organic Architecture; Wertico Cain & Gray's 4th CD & video release entitled Realization; Wertico Cain & Gray's 5th CD entitled Short Cuts – 40 Improvisations; Wertico Cain & Gray's 6th CD entitled AfterLive; Wertico Cain & Gray's 7th CD & downloadable video release entitled Without Compromise; and Wertico Cain & Gray's 8th CD entitled Windows Of Time; a CD entitled Dynamics in Meditation by the Gianmarco Scaglia & Paul Wertico Quartet; and the Paul Wertico/John Helliwell Project has two recent releases: a CD entitled The Bari Sessions and a 2-CD set entitled Live Under Italian Skies.  In addition, the Chicago-based Paul Wertico Trio (featuring guitarist John Moulder & bassist Eric Hochberg) released a CD (celebrating the trio’s 25th anniversary) entitled First Date, and the Italy-based Paul Wertico Trio (featuring pianist Fabrizio Mocata & bassist Gianmarco Scaglia) also recently released a CD entitled Letter from Rome.  Paul’s latest three CDs are entitled Paul Wertico’s Drums Without Boundaries (one of DownBeat magazine's "Best Albums of 2023"), Marbinico by Marbin & Paul Wertico, and Tuxedo Man by David Becker & Paul Wertico.

In the international press, Paul’s drumming has also been compared to that of an “Impressionist painter,” and he has also been called “an inspired madman,” “a restless innovator,” “a true legend of jazz drums,” “a master of drumming insanity,” “a genius of the sticks,” and a recent review stated, “Wertico simply oozes musicality.”

Last, but not least, Paul’s groundbreaking drum instructional book TURN THE BEAT AROUND (A Drummer’s Guide to Playing “Backbeats” on 1 & 3) was published by Alfred Music in 2017.

Paul’s official website is: