Terry Bozzio - Solo Drums

Biography

Bozzio was born in California to Italian American parents. He attended Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo, California, where he received a music scholarship in 1969. He made his name recording and touring with Frank Zappa (and appearing in the concert movie Baby Snakes), and then the band UK. After his audition for Zappa, all the drummers behind him in the line left, and he was accepted. He was particularly famous for performing Zappa's "The Black Page", a piece of music designed to be a "musician's nightmare" a page so filled with notes as to be almost black. He currently resides in Austin, Texas with his wife Ev and son Raanen Bozzio.

Bozzio went on to form Missing Persons with his then-wife and lead vocalist Dale Bozzio, ex-Zappa guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, ex-Zappa bassist Patrick O'Hearn and keyboard player Chuck Wild. After disbanding Missing Persons in 1986 after releasing "Color In Your Life", Terry joined up with ex-Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor for his solo band. He can be seen in a couple videos from that period. He participated in the official "founding members" Missing Persons reunion in July 2001 and has recorded a Zappa-influenced, as-yet-unreleased album, Playing in Tongues, with Warren Cuccurullo.

In summer of 2005 Bozzio filled in for Dave Lombardo in Fantômas for their European tour. Bozzio was inducted into Guitar Center's RockWalk in Hollywood on January 17, 2006 along with rock and roll icons Ronnie James Dio and Slash.

Bozzio has recently worked with the band Korn on their 8th studio album after the departure of their drummer David Silveria. He was scheduled to also play on the road with the band during the Family Values Tour, but he left the group and was replaced by Joey Jordison of Slipknot.

Musical Influences

Like Hall of Fame drummer Gary Chester, Bozzio is noted for creating the melodic ostinato for the drum set. In most of Bozzio’s works the ostinato is played using various bass drum and hi-hat permutations while he solos against these rhythms using his hands. Like Chester, Bozzio developed the application for the melodic ostinato for drum set when he noticed how a pianist would solo or play counter rhythms against the ostinato. He then applied this concept to the drum set.

Bozzio is also noted for creating orchestral compositions on the drum set by playing polyrhythms and polymeter while utilizing his large custom Drum Workshop kit, in which the tom toms are tuned to specific notes to create the atmosphere that is Bozzio’s signature sound. Terry Bozzio’s influence has been seen in some of the most prominent drummers of today including Marco Minnemann, Thomas Lang, and Mike Mangini.

Bozzio’s influence is becoming a more prominent force as modern day drummers are seeking to break the barriers of the traditional grooving drummer to the drummer that takes a more prominent role as the leader of a band, a position that in westernized music has been dominated by the guitar.

Lesson

Terry presents his overall approach to the drumset as an orchestra in itself. Other topics include double bass drumming, hand techniques and a study of his drum part for U.S. Drag. Includes exercises to strengthen chops and independence.