The son of jazz saxophonist Oliver Lake, Gene Lake was born in St. Louis, MO on January 12th, 1966, and lived there--with brief period of residence in Paris --until 14, when he moved to New York city and attended the High School of Music and Arts. From there he moved to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music. Since then he has made his home in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, and currently lives in Montclair, New Jersey.
Gene Lake's early childhood exposure to creative institutions as the Black Artists Group(BAG)in St.Louis is reflected in his constant desire to seek out the musically innovative and adventurous, even as he remains grounded in the basics of funk. Gene Lake credits various drummers with influencing his musical style, from Diamond (of the Ohio Players) to Omar Hakim (of Weather Report). In future he plans to spend more time writing music that synthesizes and transforms the many influences from which he emerged.

Musical Education:

1984-1986 Berklee College of Music, Boston MA

Drums/Bass Guitar/Percussion

1980-1984 New York High School of Music and Art, New York NY

Teaching Experience:

1995 Stanford University Summer Jazz Program, Master's Classes

1997-1998 Private Tutor, Drums

Collaborative Concerts With:

David Sanborn, Marcus Miller, Steve Coleman & Five Elements, Me'Shell NdegeOcello

World Saxophone Quartet,Andy Milne, Henry Threadgill & Very Very Circus,Oliver Lake & Jump Up

Joe Zawinul, Flying Tigers, Brandon Ross & The Side Show,Gwen Guthrie ,Jiro Yoshida & New Sound Workshop

Shirley Jones,Screaming Headless Torsos, DeFunkt, Surface, Alana Davis&Jo