Jerry D'Amico Music Store has the beat this Saturday with special percussion clinic

On Saturday, Ivy D’Amico will be hosting a special percussion clinic with nationally acclaimed drummer, composer, author and educator Ed Roscetti. The event takes place at 2 p.m. at the Jerry D’Amico Music Store, 2701 Pine Ave. It’s free and open to the public.

“I’m thrilled to have him here,” storeowner Ivy D’Amico said, “and I want it to be known that this clinic isn’t just for drummers, we have all kinds of instruments here and this clinic is for all types of musicians.”

Roscetti is a respected drummer who currently resides in Los Angeles. He has published numerous instructional books published by Hal Leonard and produced music for a multitude of television shows such as “Saturday Night Live,” “General Hospital” and “Santa Barbara.” Ed has also worked with Quincy Jones and Joe Sample.

The idea for the clinic came from one of the store’s drum instructors, Joe Roscetti Jr. “He told me his cousin wanted to do a drum clinic at the store and I was all for it,” Ivy D’Amico said.

“I have been an instructor here at D’Amico’s for about a year, and Eddie is my dad’s cousin,” Joe explained. “He lived here in Niagara Falls before he moved out to Los Angeles. He definitely inspired me to be a drummer.”

Joe Jr. is just 17 years old, and has followed a path similar to his famous cousin.

“I used to teach there when I was 16 years old, for Ivy’s father Jerry. For a long time I have wanted to come back there and have a clinic for all types of musicians, not just drummers. So that is what I will be doing there with Joe Jr.,” Eddie Roscetti said this week by phone from Los Angeles.

“It’s a rhythm clinic, I’ll be teaching students some of the concepts that I have had published. I’ll show them how to use those rhythms on any instrument they play and expand their rhythm vocabulary.”

Most instrumentalists understand the importance of playing in time, Roscetti will be taking that concept further during his clinic.

“You can be playing in time but not creating a forward motion. You have to be open to receiving the groove, so to speak, and feel good. It’s available to everyone but sometimes we get too technical and shut ourselves down. A huge thing is the ability to be emotionally open and able to connect to the groove.”

Roscetti moved out to Los Angeles after attending the Berklee School of Music for a year, and he connected with two of Niagara Falls NY’s most accomplished musicians, jazz guitarist Thom Rotella and Rotella’s mentor, the legendary Tommy Tedesco.

“Tommy came to Niagara Falls one year and sat in with us, and told me if I ever moved to Los Angeles that I should look him up. He had me over to his house and introduced me to Joe Porcaro, and within five months I was working and have never looked back.”

(Note: Joe Porcaro is the father of three founding members of Toto, Jeff, Mike and Steve Porcaro. Jeff passed away in 1992 and Mike passed away this past Sunday.)

The clinic will be interactive, and as mentioned before, it is a rare opportunity to spend time with a musician of Roscetti’s caliber, and a homegrown product from an area with a rich musical history of which the D’Amico’s Music Store has played an important role in developing.

For more information on the clinic you can call the store at 284-2244.