Updated: April 17, 2024
Born: January 5, 1953
Hailed in the press as "One of the most versatile and musical drummers in music today", Paul Wertico was born January 5, 1953 in Chicago. He gained worldwide recognition as a member of the Pat Metheny Group from 1983 to 2001. During his tenure with Metheny, Wertico played on ten recordings and four videos, appeared on numerous television shows, and frequently toured around the world. He also won seven Grammy Awards (for "Best Jazz Fusion Performance," "Best Contemporary Jazz Performance," and "Best Rock Instrumental Performance"), magazine polls, and received several gold records.
In recent years, Wertico has continued to tour and perform around the world, as well as around the Chicago metropolitan area, where he is based. This led to the creation of his own band (the Paul Wertico Trio) and collaborations with jazz notables such as Larry Coryell, Kurt Elling, and Jeff Berlin. These collaborations enabled Wertico to be featured on group recordings in a variety of musical genres, and also gave him an opportunity to produce records. In 2009, Wertico's trio joined forces with Marbin, which consisted of Israeli musicians Danny Markovitch (saxophone) and Dani Rabin (guitar). The group performed as Paul Wertico's Mid-East/Mid-West Alliance, and recorded an album for the Chicago Sessions label that received accolades from publications such as the Chicago Tribune, DRUM!, and Modern Drummer. Wertico's current group is Wertico Cain & Gray, featuring multi-instrumentalists David Cain and Larry Gray. A 2013 recording by Wertico Cain & Gray, entitled Sound Portraits, won "Best Live Performance Album" in the 13th Annual Independent Music Awards (2014).
When not touring, Wertico divides his career doing session work, producing, composing, and leading his own groups, as well as teaching. Among the musicians he has played with are: Eddie Harris, Lee Konitz, Dave Liebman, Sam Rivers, Bob Mintzer, Terry Gibbs, Buddy DeFranco, Roscoe Mitchell, Evan Parker, Jay McShann, Herbie Mann, Randy Brecker, Jerry Goodman, Ramsey Lewis, David Bowie, Charlie Haden, George Coleman, Diane Schuur, Nelson Riddle, Sonny Fortune, Ken Nordine, Tierney Sutton, and many others. Wertico was a member of the Larry Coryell Power Trio until Coryell's death in 2017. From 2000 to 2007, he was a member of the platinum-record-winning Polish progressive rock band, SBB. He is also the inventor of TUBZ, made by Promark, who also makes the “Paul Wertico Signature Hickory Wood Tip Drumstick” (TX808W ).
Wertico played drums on Paul Winter's 1990 Grammy-nominated release, Earth: Voices Of A Planet. He has also played on and produced a number of CDs for artists, including vocalist Kurt Elling's 1995 Grammy-nominated release, Close Your Eyes, as well as Elling's 1997 Grammy-nominated release, The Messenger, 1998 Grammy-nominated release, This Time It's Love, and 2003 Grammy-nominated release, Man In The Air.
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All About Jazz Articles
Paul Wertico Trio: The Underground
by Mike Jacobs
After vacating the drum chair in the seminal Pat Metheny Group, drummer Paul Wertico's next move was to release Don't Be Scared Anymore (Premonition Records, 2000) with Chicago-based cohorts John Moulder and Eric Hochberg. The resulting album was a far cry from his work in the PMG stylistically, but nonetheless inspiring, as the turgid, slow grind of The Underground" shows. ...
Continue ReadingWertico / Haque / Gray at the Bop Stop in Cleveland
by C. Andrew Hovan
Blowing in from the Windy City, drummer extraordinaire Paul Wertico recently visited the Bop Stop in Cleveland for a performance on April 15, 2022. He brought with him the exemplary talents of guitarist Fareed Haque and bassist Larry Gray. Prior to the concert, Wertico led a masterclass for all musicians discussing ways to approach the art of improvisation. When the trio hit the stage later, it was truly a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its ...
Continue ReadingJohn Moulder: Metamorphosis
by Jack Bowers
As approximately fifty of the sixty-eight minutes on Chicago-based guitarist John Moulder's new CD, Metamorphosis, are devoted to the seven-part Metamorphosis Suite," that seems an appropriate point at which to start any appraisal of its contents and purpose. First and foremost, it is clear that considerable thought was given to mapping the structure of the suite, and that Moulder's quartet came well-prepared to accept and conform to his frame of mind. Whether the end result is worthy of approval is ...
Continue ReadingPaul Wertico: Impressions Of A City
by Hrayr Attarian
Almost 40 years after its inception and despite many detractors among master musicians and critics, jazz-rock fusion continues to have a tenacious hold on both creators and consumers of instrumental music. Percussionist Paul Wertico's Impressions of a City puts a modern spin on the genre by creating a work that brings together jazz like improvisation and the sound of rock jam bands. The concept behind the CD is interesting; it is supposed to be free musical impressions ...
Continue ReadingPaul Wertico's Mid East/Mid West Alliance: Impressions of a City
by John Kelman
For those only familiar with his work in Pat Metheny Group, drummer Paul Wertico's extracurricular career will be something of a shock. He may have been all light cymbal work and gentle pulses with PMG, but on albums like The Sign of Four (Knitting Factory, 1997)--a freewheeling session with Metheny in a beyond"-Song X (Nonesuch, 1985) mood, über-free guitarist Derek Bailey and intrepid percussionist Gregg Bendian--Wertico proved that PMG's accessible grooves were but only one of his many diverse interests.
Continue ReadingPaul Wertico: All In A Day's Work
by Cicily Janus
Seven-time Grammy winner Paul Wertico, a name long-synonymous with innovation and Herculean energy/talent in the world of drums, has stepped out of the box once again to present an album that defies genre boundaries. In addition to the usual suspects of his trio including guitarist John Moulder and bassist Brian Peters, Wertico has combined forces with Israeli guitarist Dani Rabin and saxophonist Danny Markovitch to form the Mid East/Mid West Alliance. The product of this marriage of talent recently came ...
Continue ReadingJohn Moulder: Trinity
by John Kelman
While it's possible to overstate the importance of parallel careers, it's difficult to avoid touching on the subject when it comes to John Moulder. The ordained priest has also managed an active musical career in Chicago as a guitarist, most notably as a member of ex-Pat Metheny Group drummer Paul Wertico's trio for the past 12 years. It's easy to forget Moulder's spiritual leanings on albums like Spirit Talk (Naim, 2003), a standards-based duo record with vibraphonist Ken Hall. But ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Paul Wertico
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Paul Wertico's birthday today!
Hailed in the press as “One of the most versatile and musical drummers in music today”, Paul Wertico was born on January 5, 1953 in Chicago, Illinois. At age 12, he learned how to read music and play drums and percussion instruments in grade school. At age 14, he got his first drum set and taught himself how to play it. By age 15, he was already playing professionally with various ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Paul Wertico
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Paul Wertico's birthday today!
Hailed in the press as “One of the most versatile and musical drummers in music today”, Paul Wertico was born on January 5, 1953 in Chicago, Illinois. At age 12, he learned how to read music and play drums and percussion instruments in grade school. At age 14, he got his first drum set and taught himself how to play it. By age 15, he was already playing professionally with various ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Paul Wertico
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Paul Wertico's birthday today!
Hailed in the press as “One of the most versatile and musical drummers in music today”, Paul Wertico was born on January 5, 1953 in Chicago, Illinois. At age 12, he learned how to read music and play drums and percussion instruments in grade school. At age 14, he got his first drum set and taught himself how to play it. By age 15, he was already playing professionally with various ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Paul Wertico
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Paul Wertico's birthday today!
Hailed in the press as “One of the most versatile and musical drummers in music today”, Paul Wertico was born on January 5, 1953 in Chicago, Illinois. At age 12, he learned how to read music and play drums and percussion instruments in grade school. At age 14, he got his first drum set and taught himself how to play it. By age 15, he was already playing professionally with various ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Paul Wertico
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Paul Wertico's birthday today!
Hailed in the press as “One of the most versatile and musical drummers in music today”, Paul Wertico was born on January 5, 1953 in Chicago, Illinois. At age 12, he learned how to read music and play drums and percussion instruments in grade school. At age 14, he got his first drum set and taught himself how to play it. By age 15, he was already playing professionally with various ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Paul Wertico
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Paul Wertico's birthday today!
Hailed in the press as “One of the most versatile and musical drummers in music today”, Paul Wertico was born on January 5, 1953 in Chicago, Illinois. At age 12, he learned how to read music and play drums and percussion instruments in grade school. At age 14, he got his first drum set and taught himself how to play it. By age 15, he was already playing professionally with various ...
read more
Paul Wertico's "Turn the Beat Around," Now Available from Alfred Music
Source:
All About Jazz
Alfred Music, the leading publisher in music education since 1922, announces the release of Paul Wertico’s, Turn the Beat Around, A Drummer's Guide to Playing Backbeats" on 1 & 3. Turn the Beat Around breaks decades-old routine by examining backbeats" in a whole new light, asking the questions: Why are backbeats always played on beats 2 & 4?" and What about playing them on beats 1 & 3?" By delving into this inquiry, Paul Wertico provides drummers with innovative ways ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Paul Wertico
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Paul Wertico's birthday today!
Hailed in the press as “One of the most versatile and musical drummers in music today”, Paul was born on January 5, 1953 in Chicago, Illinois. At age 12, he learned how to read music and play drums and percussion instruments in grade school. At age 14, he got his first drum set and taught himself how to play it. By age 15, he was already playing professionally with various rock ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Paul Wertico
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Paul Wertico's birthday today!
Hailed in the press as “One of the most versatile and musical drummers in music today”, Paul was born on January 5, 1953 in Chicago, Illinois. At age 12, he learned how to read music and play drums and percussion instruments in grade school. At age 14, he got his first drum set and taught himself how to play it. By age 15, he was already playing professionally with various rock ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Paul Wertico
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Paul Wertico's birthday today! Hailed in the press as “One of the most versatile and musical drummers in music today”, Paul was born on January 5, 1953 in Chicago, Illinois. At age 12, he learned how to read music and play drums and percussion instruments in grade school. At age 14, he got his first drum set and taught himself how to play it. By age 15, he was already playing professionally with various rock ...
read more
Reviews of Impressions Of A City:
"… a wildly unpredictable journey into one man’s apparently inexhaustible sonic imagination. Weird electronic effects, straight-ahead jazz, scorching blues, rock-tinged guitar wails, ambient sounds of the city - it’s all there on the CD… the CD unfolds with a grandeur and over-arching shape that would lead you to conclude vast amount of planning had gone into it… [That the album was completely improvised] helps explain the vitality and spontaneity of the recording but not its high degree of instrumental detail or its sense of cascading climaxes and resolutions
Primary Instrument
Drums
Location
Chicago
Willing to teach
Beginner to advanced
Credentials/Background
1968-Present - Teaching Private Drum Lessons
1992-2008 - Drum Set Instructor/Wind & Percussion Faculty of Northwestern University
1994-2001 - Drum Set Instructor/Bloom School of Jazz
2002-2008 - Drum Set Instructor/Jazz Faculty of Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts
2007-2008 - Interim Head of Jazz Studies - Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University
2008-2012 - Head of Jazz and Contemporary Music Studies at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts
2008-2014 - Assistant Professor of Jazz and Contemporary Music Studies at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts
2014-Present - Associate Professor of Jazz and Contemporary Music Studies at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts
Current Private Drum Lesson Rate: $125.00 Per Hour
Lessons Are Made By Appointment
Clinic/Workshop Information
Pat Metheny
guitarMichael Brecker
saxophone, tenorBill Bruford
drumsTony Williams
drumsLarry Coryell
guitarAllan Holdsworth
guitar, electricJack DeJohnette
drumsDave Weckl
drumsLarry Carlton
guitarLyle Mays
keyboardsTerje Rypdal
guitarSteve Smith
drumsBunny Brunel
bassMichael Shrieve
drumsSteps Ahead
band / ensemble / orchestraGil Goldstein
pianoArtists who share similar musical characteristics to Paul Wertico.