A well-known drummer from the Rochester area is among this year’s Grammy nominees.
Steve Gadd is recognized as one of the top drummers in the world, and one of his latest efforts has just received a Grammy nomination for his album ‘Way Back Home: Live from Rochester,’ which includes music from Gadd’s 2015 appearance at the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival.
The Irondequoit native made a stop at WXXI during the festival, appearing on Connections with Evan Dawson. Gadd, who was 70 years old at the time, indicated he will just keep on playing and touring.
“I’m going to keep doing it, I can’t image ever not playing, I don’t know if I’ll be traveling as much later on, but I’ll be playing as long as I can, I love to play.”
The Steve Gadd band has been nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.
Gadd studied at the Eastman School of Music and several other Eastman alums are also among the Grammy nominees including those in both classical and non-classical categories.
They include:
Best Engineered Album non-classical, Bob Ludwig for Are You Serious.
Best Chamber Music Steve Reich by Third Coast Percussion (alum Sean D. Connors is in the ensemble)
Best Classical Instrumental Solo Kristian Bezuidenhout for Mozart Keyboard Music
Best Contemporary Classical Composition – Gene Scheer is librettist on Higdon: Cold Mountain; Christopher Theofanidis for Theofanidis: Bassoon Concerto.
