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Lessons
Rhythm Traders offers private drum lessons, weekend group classes, workshops, and clinics, and we invite you to build your own custom class using our drums, lesson rooms, teachers and other resources.
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Private Drum Set Lessons
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Group Classes
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Workshops & Clinics
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Build Your Own Class
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Our Drum Set Teachers
We have skilled drum teachers of all kinds and all specialties available for private lessons. The lessons are held at our store in Portland. Use the contact form below or give us a call to setup a private lesson with one of our teachers.
Drum Set, Congas, Cajon, & Bongos
Specialties: Jazz, Latin, Funk, Afro-beat
Availability: Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays
Born in Ghana, West Africa, Annoh's own style comes from jazz greats such as Max Roach, Cosy Cole, & Elvin Jones. In addition to jazz, Annoh is a specialist in percussion, and congas. He's played at the BBC studios in London, traveled through Africa, Europe, and the US. He's played with Highlife pioneer E.T. Mensah, Obo Addy, and the Ghana Broadcasting Orchestra. Currently, he drums for Michael Allan Harrison and Thara Memory.
Drum Set
Specialties: Jazz, Swing, Brushes
Availability: Wednesdays and Thursdays
Dave Averre is an accomplished jazz drummer and educator whose career spans more than three decades. He began studying drums at the age of five and played his first professional job at fifteen. His earliest instruction was from his father, a local jazz drummer and instructor whose career began during WWII as a bandsman for the USO. As a young student, Dave commuted to New York City, studying with the prominent drummers Joe Cusatis, Charli Persip, Jim Chapin, Michael Carvin and Joe LaBarbara.
After college, Dave moved to NYC and began making inroads into the jazz scene, doing performances and studio work on the east coast in upstate New York and Connecticut. In 1981, Dave had the opportunity to travel to Norway and performed steadily throughout Scandinavia for two years. He played the Molde and Voss Jazz festivals each year with European and American musicians such as Eje Thelin, Karin Krogg, Arild Anderson, Jon Balke, Armen Donelian, John Surman, Tony Coe and many others.
Upon returning to the States, he completed a degree in Music Education from Trenton State College (The College of New Jersey) and in 1996 moved to the Northwest where he performs and teaches in the Portland Metro area. In 2010 he was inducted into The Oregon Jazz Society Hall of Fame with the long-standing group Tall Jazz.
In addition to performing, Dave is committed to jazz education. He teaches privately, conducts clinics and workshops focusing on rhythm section development and techniques for secondary schools and colleges.
Dave’s inspiration over the years has been influenced by a wealth of master musicians such as: Bill Evans, Max Roach, Jack DeJohnette, Paul Motian, Keith Jarrett, Roy Haynes, Shelley Manne and others. He has performed with notables: Eddie Fisher, Mose Allison, Carl Saunders, John Surman, Eje Thelin, Eric Balke, Jon Balke, Armen Donelian, Karin Krogg, and Arild Anderson. Regionally, Dave has performed with Dave Captein, Toni Pacini, Jerry Hahn, John Stowell, Randy Porter, Rob Davis, Ed Bennett, Steve Christofferson, and George Mitchell.
Drum Set
Specialties: Rock, Jazz, Metal, Indie, Pop, Soul
Availability: All Days of the Week
Randy Herbert is a professional drummer and percussionist based out of Portland, Oregon. As a drummer and a multi-instrumentalist, Randy has established himself as a true artist and working professional. His recording and touring background spans the spectrum of genres from rock, jazz, indie-alternative-post rock, pop, r&b soul, singer-songwriter and beyond. Randy's experience, discipline, and love for creating music has made him an indispensable member of Portland's vibrant and diverse music community.
Check out Randy's Website: www.randyherbert.com
Drum Set, Electronic Drums
Specialties: Jazz, Rock, Electronics, Composing
Availability: All Days of the Week
Joe Janiga is a musical drummer who has a global understanding of rhythm and music with over 20 years teaching experience.
He has worked as a percussionist, composer, dance accompanist and band leader since 1988. Joe was nominated for an Emmy and went to the Oscars in 2009 for the film "The Final Inch". He has also worked with Oscar Award winner Joan Gratz on her animated film "The Dowagers Feast" and with critically acclaimed animator Chel White on "Magda".
Joe has played and recorded on drumset and acoustic/ electronic percussion over the years in many musical genres from Ghanaian folkloric to Reggae and from Jazz to Latin and Rock. Joe lived and studied in Brazil in 1998.He currently plays with Klezmocracy, 3 Leg Torso and Voniga. Joe has worked nationally and locally with the late Frank Morgan, Renato Caranto, Bill Rhodes and the Party Kings, Teri Robb, David Valdez, BossaNouveau, David Ornette Cherry, Alfredo Muro, Body Vox Dance Theatre, Unshakeable Race and More Time among others.
Joe currently plays and composes for Do Jump Theater an acrobatic/ dance company that has performed all over the United States including runs at the New Victory Theater (Broadway NYC), the Kennedy Center (D.C.), The Ordway Theater (M.N.) and the Geffen Theater (L.A.)
Recently he started a company called DeepDishDesigns LLC that created a professional sheet music viewer for the iPad. It is called DeepDish GigBook.
Drum Set & Timbales
Specialties: Latin, Timba, Jazz, Funk
Availability: Most days, by appointment
James has studied and taught drums for over 15 years. His specialties include Timba, Salsa, Funk, and Reggae. He's been in many of Portland's top bands such as: Agua Miel, Rubberneck, Black Angel, Linda Hornbuckle, Bobby Torres, African Kings, and Mt. Hood CC Jazz Ensemble. James regularly travels to Cuba and is Portland's specialist in contemporary Afro-Cuban Drumset & Timbale applications. His teachers include Giraldo Piloto, Eduardo Velasquez, Jose Sanchez & Ludwig Nunez.
Drum Set
Specialties: Jazz, Rock, Swing, Big Band, Fusion
Availability: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & weekends by appointment
Los Angeles Times longtime Jazz Music critic Don Heckman once wrote of Carlton Jackson's drumming as being "intensely musical..."
The description perfectly describes Carlton, as he has been associated with various areas within the musical world, and continues to be a first call musician in the performance and recording industry. His flowing, incisive style & a firm respect for the inherent tradition of various music genres has made him a natural choice for local, national, and international projects. This awareness has led to his performances appearing in feature films, television and radio.
Celebrating the diverse musical community which continually engages him, Carlton brings his distinctive style to each musical endeavor. A native of Portland, Oregon, his well-documented work with contemporary jazz pianists Tom Grant and Dan Siegel, guitarists Dan Balmer and Terry Robb, Blues/R&B singers D.K.Stewart and Curtis Salgado, country-pop singer Toni Land and iconoclastic composer Jon Newton, have solidified his performer status as engaging and versatile.
A further sampling of the artists whom Carlton has worked with includes the legendary "Father of the Jazz Walking Bass" Leroy Vinnegar, as well as other greats such as Billy Eckstine, Bo Diddley, Jerry Hahn, Maryann Price, Mark Isham, Jim Pepper, Bobby Torres, James Cotton, Houston Person, actor Bruce Willis, Melissa Walker, Dianne Schuur, Larry Coryell, Danny Barnes, Bill Frisell, and Gordon Lee (in Trio & Big Band settings.)
In addition to jazz, blues, rock, country and other contemporary styles, Carlton has also worked under the batons of symphonic and orchestral direction by such conductors as Pete Rugolo, Norman Leyden and James DePreist (Oregon Symphony Orchestra.)
His current musical focus is co-direction of an 18 piece big band with the talented and prolific composer/arranger Dave Mills in the Portland area. The Carlton Jackson/Dave Mills Big Band has performed at many prestigious events & venues including the PDX Waterfront Blues Festival, The Mt. Hood Festival Of Jazz, The Oregon Symphony, and The Rose Festival. In addition, the group was featured in a program by Oregon Public Broadcasting which profiled the band and it's co-leaders.
Drum Set
Specialties: Jazz, Big Band, Swing, Brushes
Availability: By appointment
Swing legend and Buddy Rich protege, Donny Osborne is a huge part of drumming history. He was first influenced by the amazing genius and technique of Buddy Rich, and by the skill of drumming greats Gene Krupa, Dave Tough, and Chick Webb. He has had an over 24 year career drumming for Mel Torme and his specialties include Swing/Big Band. Check out his website, www.donnyosborne.com
Lesson Form
Group Classes
Catón teaches several of our Djembe and Conga workshops. These group classes focus on basic technique and polyrhythms used in playing the Djembe, Sangban, Kenkeni and Dununba drums. Studies include popular West African traditional rhythms from Senegal, Gambia, Mali, Guinea, and Cote Ivoire.
Saturdays 11am - 12pm & Tuesdays 5:30-6:30pm
Saturdays from 12:15 - 1:15pm
Saturdays from 1:45 - 2:45pm
Currently on Hiatus
Saturdays from 5 - 6:30pm
Workshops & Clinics
Stanton Moore at a 2010 clinic
At Rhythm Traders, it's part of our mission to bring master drummers of all kinds to our store in Portland for workshops, clinics, performances, and other special events.
Check out our calendar below for information about our upcoming events and special guests.
Build Your Own Class
Teachers! We can custom design a class, field-trip or workshop for your school or organization! Are you doing a section on Africa or Latin America? Have toddlers you’d like to bring in for a “Stomp & Play”, or want to bring your school’s rhythm section in for a Latin rhythm sectional?
We’ll provide the space, instruments, and instructor and can tailor it to your needs. We've got an 800sq/ft Community Lesson Room, a diverse collection of skilled instructors, and plenty of drums, including a sizable fleet of African drums (Djembes, Dununs, Bells), Latin Drums (Congas, Bongos, Timbales), Brazilian Drums (Caixas, Surdos, Pandeiros), and several drum sets with cymbals, all available for you to use as part of a class.
We can provide a drumming experience from toddlers and school groups to corporate team-building workshops. Cost is generally $15 per student with a minimum group size of 10 and a maximum of 25. Let’s get started! Please Email us or call for details - 503-288-6950.
