Where did you grow up? Did you come from a musical family? Who were your early influences?
I grew up in Zurich, Switzerland. There was a lot of vinyl playing, but nobody played any instruments seriously. I only picked up the drums after turning 18 years old. My biggest influences early on were Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters, the first Miles Davis quintet, Philly Joe, Max Roach, and Elvin Jones.
What were your experiences like at Berklee?
That was a fun if somewhat chaotic time. There was a lot of great music going on. I’d describe it as NYC in 3 buildings. I was fortunate to meet and play with many great musicians there.
When did you choose NYC? How would you describe the NY scene compared to other places?
After a year in Boston of OPT (optional practical training - a student visa extension allowing me to work), I felt it was time to move (I also followed my girlfriend at the time, who had moved a year earlier).
There’s no place like it. There’s an unsustainable amount of talent and bus loads more arriving daily. There are definitely perks - you can play sessions with incredible musicians all the time but equally, you have to feel lucky every time someone calls you for a gig.
Tell us about Sunday evenings at Bad Therapy, sponsored by KEYED UP! What can we expect? It seems like a beautiful space.
Up until recently I had been running a Wednesday night spot at 773 Lounge - It’s an old-school South Brooklyn sports/dive bar with all the neighborhood characters.
The vibe at Bad Therapy is kind of like a European café that serves beer, wine, and spirits with the focus and wine. It’s a tried and true jam session format. I play a set with a trio using a different bass player and guitar or keyboard player every week. The jam session follows. Stylistically anything goes within the jazz standard format. Also, I try to keep the volume as closely to an acoustic jazz level as possible.
I pride myself in hosting a friendly, no attitude, jam session, where everybody gets to play a couple of tunes in order of their appearance. I will only cut you, if you really don’t cut it and people are getting upset.
Any touring or album you would like to promote?
I have an album with the Michael Vitali Trio, featuring Justin Wert and Julian Smith in the works. It’s a trio record with Justin on guitar and Julian on bass. It’s a collaborative effort with mostly original music and a couple of standards and arrangements of pop songs. We recorded 10 tracks at Michael Brorby’s studio "Acoustic Recording" and it’s being mixed by Katsuhiko Naito.
I'll also be touring Europe in November. The tour will be 10/29-11/8 with performances in Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg. Aki Ishiguro will replace Justin on guitar.
What are your experiences of KEYED UP! and the importance of supporting live jazz in NYC?
It has become increasingly difficult to maintain steady gigs like the weekly spot at Bad Therapy while paying musicians the minimum of what they deserve. KEYED UP! has been instrumental in keeping live music alive and has made a huge difference in allowing us to keep music in smaller venues that may not have been able otherwise without sacrificing musician pay.