Steve Gadd, Jeff Porcaro, Michael White, Oscar Peterson, Eric Gale, Richard Tee, Marcus Miller, Bernard Purdie, Chick Corea, Aretha, Chaka, Jeff Beck, Brecker, Sanborn, Tom Scott, all those I am lucky enough to play with and my students.
A Chicago native, Bret’s ability to play a diverse range of styles has enabled him the pleasure of performing in a very eclectic mix of musical situations.
Bret toured two years with pop star Tiffany, and can be heard on two of her CD's, "Dreams Never Die" and "All The Best."
As a member of Grammy nominated funk band Liquid Soul, he opened for Sting including playing New York's Central Park, the legendary Fillmore West in San Fransisco and numerous local and national TV appearances.
Bret studied at Northern Illinois University where he majored in percussion and played drums in the school’s Jazz Ensemble, an ensemble that won numerous Downbeat awards and offered him the chance to perform with jazz greats Clark Terry, James Moody, Jon Faddis and Louie Bellson.
Other international artists Bret has backed include "soul man" Sam Moore, Little Anthony & The Imperials, Oskar Saville, (10,000 Maniacs), The Crystals, Vince Welnick and Donald O'Connor.
No stranger to the theatre, Bret has performed hundreds of shows including recent Chicago Broadway hits The Full Monty, A Chorus Line, and swinging the big band in Ron Hawking's "Copa Chicago" & "His Way", NBC Tower, Chicago. He was also in the showband for ABC-TV's "The Mike & Matty Show."
Bret is an artist endorsee for Evans drumheads and Vic Firth sticks.
Our beloved colleagues!
Thank you for your friendship!
Watch us and enjoy!
We are looking for a manager, who will help us to participate major Jazz Festivals and/or book concert tours overseas.
Sincerely,
Armen Martirosian, artistic director, AJB
What up ... now we're friends on the world's greatest shameless self-promotion website ... cool. Glad to see Bernard Purdie on your influences list ... where's Zigaboo!?!? See ya soon bro :)
thanks uncle bret! i tried snowboarding this winter but it didnt really work out because the board i was using was meant for a 6'3 friend of mine.
that was honestly one of the hardest concerts i've ever played. we only had four rehersals, and only practiced my songs in two of them. one of my charts had almost nothing written on it except how many measures there were but i thought it turned out pretty well.
Not sure if the show was this friday or last, but hope HOB treats you well!!! That should be awesome! Just finishing up finals here and I fly back for Christmas break next week. We should try and grab lunch or something while i'm home to catch up. I'll give you a call when I get back. Hope you and your family are doing great! Take care,
What's up Bret great page man just wanted to say thanks for adding me to your circle and it is always a pleasure when we get a chance to gig together. Blue Jay
