Peter Magadini

Peter Charles 'Pete' Magadini (born January 25, 1942) is an American drummer, percussionist, educator and author of books on [[drumming and drum technique /polyrhythms /percussion] He is known for his body of work (instructional books and videos) concerning the comprehension and execution of musical polyrhythms, especially the books Polyrhythms The Musicians Guide (Hal Leonard Publishing) & [Polyrhythms For The Drumset] (Alfred Publishing)'. Magadini has recorded and performed withGeorge Duke, Diana Ross, Bobbie Gentry,, Al Jarreau, Buddy DeFranco, John Handy and Mose Allison.

Magadini was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts to Charles and Ruth Magadini. At the age of 6 the family moved to Palm Springs, California where he played in the elementary school band. Magadini's professional career began recording singles for Lee Hazlewood and Lester Sill while attending high school in Phoenix, Arizona. In Phoenix he studied with his first and most influential teacher Donald Bothwell and was heavily influenced by the playing of Max Roach.

In 1960 Magadini studied drum set with Roy Burns at the Henry Adler Drum School in New York City. He then enrolled at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he studied timpani with New York Philharmonic timpanist Roland Kohloff, graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1965. During his time in San Francisco he formed a trio with keyboardist George Duke, also a student at the Conservatory, and performed with the Oakland Symphony Orchestra. In 1973 he graduated from the University of Toronto (Toronto, Canada) with a master's degree in Percussion & Performance – "w.distinction"

In 1968, while teaching at his alma mater, Magadini was awarded a fellowship to perform with The Berkshire Music Festival Orchestra at Tanglewood. The next year he moved to Los Angeles where he taught drums at the Hollywood Professional Drum Shop and played with the Don Menza quartet. Magadini toured with Bobbie Gentry through 1969 before joining Diana Ross' first band as a solo artist. After touring with Ross from 1970 – 1971 he attended the University of Toronto, receiving a Master of Music degreein 1973.

In 1976 he produced Polyrhthym, for the IBis label, featuring himself, George Duke, Don Menza and Dave Young. His second album, Bones Blues, with Dave Young, Don Menza and Wray Downs, received a Juno award nomination for Best Jazz Album of the Year in 1979. Magadini has also performed extensively with and produced recordings for blues-jazz vocalist Mose Allison.

From 1988 to 1997 he taught at McGill and Concordia Universities in Montreal and at the Brubeck Institute, University of the Pacific from 2003–2007. He also maintains a private teaching practice in the California Bay Area.

Magadini is widely known for his interest and expertise in polyrhythms as applied in western music and drum set. Originally inspired by his studies with tabla player Mahapurush Misra in 1966, he has published two major works on the subject: Polyrhythms for the Drumset and Polyrhythms: The Musicians Guide, (first published in two volumes in 1967) which Modern Drummer magazine ranked 6th in their survey of "The 25 Best Drum Books." In 2012 he published The Official 26 Polyrhythm Rudiments.

(as a drummer/ leader / producer)

1970 "Live at The Grove" Diana Ross (Motown) drms. (yet to be released) 1971 "Diana" Diana Ross (Motown) drms. 1976 – Polyrhythmw. George Duke kys. (IBis recordings) prdcr+drms. 1977 – Bones Blues Sackville Records prdcr.+drms. 1978 Juno award Nominee 2000 – Night Dreamers (Timeless) prdcr.drums 2015 – Mose Allison Live in California (drms. and producer for IBis) www.moseallisonamericanlegend.com 2015 – "Outside in the Present" (Quadwrangle Music)

2006 – Jazz Drums Hal Leonard Corporation|Hal Leonard

1980 – Learn to Play the Drumset (Book 1)
(Hal Leonard Publishing) 1982 – Learn to Play the Drumset (Book 2)
( HL Pub.) 1982 – Music We Can See and Hear
Music book for children in the classroom 1986 – Drummer's Guide to Music Theory
(out of print) 1995 – Polyrhythms for the Drumset
(Alfred Publishing) 1998 – Complete Drumset Rudiments
(H.L.Pub>) 2001 (First Published 1968) – Polyrhythms – the Musician's Guide (H.L.Pub.) 1993 #6 the 25 Worlds Greatest Drum Books (Modern Drummer Magazine) 2017 'All In One' "Learn to Play The Drumset" Peter's complete method from beginner to advanced (H.L. Pub.)