Daniel Glass - Drum Solo Artist

Daniel Glass

Daniel grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, and started playing drums at the age of eight. After obtaining a bachelors degree from Brandeis University in Boston, Daniel continued his musical training at the Dick Grove School of Music in 1991. For the following two and a half years, Daniel worked as a freelance musician in Los Angeles, recording for a variety of independent labels and touring with jazz singer Barbara Morrison and veteran blues guitarist Debbie Davies. He has been a student of master teacher Freddie Gruber since 1992.
In 1994, Daniel brought his abilities to L.A. swing phenomenon Royal Crown Revue, the group that single handedly inspired todays Neo-Swing resurgence by combining 1940s sound and style with modern raw power. As the result of an extremely successful stint as the original house band at the Derby Club in Los Angeles, super-producer Ted Templeman (of Van Halen and Doobie Bros. fame) signed the group to Warner Brothers Records in 1995. RCRs releases, Mugzys Move (1996), Caught in the Act (1997), The Contender (1998 - on which Daniel co-wrote 5 tracks), Walk on Fire (1999) and Passport to Australia (2001) - have sold well over 400,000 units. RCRs latest release, Greetings from Hollywood (2004), was produced by Daniel.

Touring highlights with RCR include a headlining spot on the Vans Warped Tours 97 and 99 (with stops in Europe, Australia and Japan), a spot on the 1998 Playboy Jazz Festival, and national tours with The B-52s, The Pretenders, and KISS. The band performed with Bette Midler at the 1998 Billboard Music Awards, and was featured in the nations top jazz festivals (including Concord, Saratoga, Newport and JVC Lincoln Center). In September of 1999, RCR headlined two sold out performances with the 110 piece Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In 2005, the band toured Western Europe, Australia and headlined the Tantsy festival in Moscow.

With RCR, Daniel has kept busy in the world of TV and film. The groups music has been featured in everything from Jim Carreys The Mask, to countless TV shows, movie trailers, ad campaigns, gymnastic routines at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics, even at the Miss America Pageant. RCR also wrote, recorded and performed the Dubba, Dubba WB theme for the WB Networks 98/99 season. Live TV appearances have included Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, Conan OBrien, The Today Show, The Roseanne Show, Viva Variety (Comedy Central), Tales from the Crypt (HBO), MTVs Rock-n-Jock B-Ball Jam and Swing Alive, (a national PBS special that featured Daniel in a drum-battle with Count Basie/Frank Sinatra drummer Gregg Field). Recently, RCRs music has been heard in the films Somethings Gotta Give, The Cat in the Hat, The Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing and Charm School, Joe Kid on A Stingray, and the television shows Malcolm in the Middle and Wonder Falls.

Outside of RCR, Daniel has performed and recorded with a variety of artists, including Bette Midler, Frank Sinatra guitarist Al Viola, the Michael Andrew Swing Orchestra, Mike Ness (of Social Distortion), Johnny Boyd (of Indigo Swing), rockabilly legend Robert Gordon, Unknown Hinson, the Industrial Jazz Group and Moras Modern Rhythmists. He has been profiled numerous times in Modern Drummer magazine (including the cover story, Dec. 98), and has been featured in DRUM!, Classic Drummer, Stick It, and Drummerdude magazines.

In 2002, Daniel released his debut CD as a leader. The Daniel Glass Trios Something Colorful (produced by Daniel). It was the flagship release for VeryTall Music, a label that Daniel co-founded. The DGT has toured internationally, with a Sept. 02 European tour, and an appearance at the Havana International Jazz Festival in Dec. 2002. A second VeryTall release - vibraphonist Eldad Tarmus Exotic Tales (also produced by Daniel) came out in 2004.

In addition to his work as musician and producer, Daniel is an oft-published writer, clinician and music historian. He has published two books: The Ultimate History of RocknRoll Drumming: 1948-2000 (2002), and The RCR Drum Transcription Book (2005), and is currently preparing a new book The Commandments of Roots Drumming, set for release in late 2006. This three volume series will be the first of its kind to combine six decades of drum history with instruction, interviews of legendary players and never before seen photos and other drumming memorabilia. The Commandments series will be edited by Zoro (drummer for Lenny Kravitz and internationally acclaimed writer and clinician).

In 1999, Modern Drummer Magazine published Daniels four part series on neo-swing drumming, entitled Swingin in a Modern Age. More recently, he has published articles on music/drumming history in The Encyclopedia of Percussion (2nd Edition), Drum Magazine, Stick It Magazine and the MusicHound Swing Essential Album Guide. Daniel has also done swing-oriented programming for online radio giant SonicNet/Mtvi, and for the Delta Airlines in-flight radio network. He released an instructional video, Principles of Swing Time in 2002.

Since 2003, Daniels engaging clinic/performance has brought to life the roots of popular American drumming, focusing on classic styles like swing, rhythm and blues, rockabilly and early rocknroll. The clinic has wowed audiences from Arizona to Australia and offers what swing drumming legend Louie Bellson calls a delightful and refreshing approach to keeping alive the history and traditions of drumming. In May, 2005, Daniel will be presenting his clinic at the 16th Annual Chicago Vintage and Custom Drum Show.

EQUIPMENT:

Daniel humbly endorses Drum Workshop (drums, pedals, hardware), Bosphorus Cymbals, Trueline Drumsticks (check out the Daniel Glass Signature Model), Regal Tip Brushes, Aquarian Drumheads, Revolution Drum Accessories, K&K Drum Microphones and Diggit Stick Weights.