Curt Newton Drummer and Teacher Jazz and Improvised Music curt@curtnewton.com Home Discography Teaching - coming soon! Detailed Bio

"Newton dazzles…he exhibited breathtaking restraint,  breaking down time with a subtle hand,  tapping out painterly splashes of sound… A large reserve of free-floating power” Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader Boston-based drummer and percussionist Curt Newton  has been playing uncompromising original music since 1986. A highly versatile ensemble player and soloist, he integrates innovative sounds and extended techniques with the jazz and rock drumset traditions. He has worked with Ken Vandermark, Joe Morris, Nate McBride, Pandelis Karayorgis, Charlie Kohlhase, and Debris; performed across the United States, Canada, and Europe; and appears on CDs released by leading independent labels like Okkadisk, Boxholder, Soul Note, Music and Arts, Buzz, and Rastascan.

. photo by Ivan Shokin (c) 2001

Curt currently performs with the following groups:

• Nate McBride Quartet (w/ Charlie Kohlhase, saxophones; Taylor Ho Bynum, brass; Nate McBride, bass)
• the mi3(w/ Pandelis Karayorgis, fender rhodes; Nate McBride, bass)
• The Chris Allen Estate
• Trio Ex Nihilo (w/ Jeff Song, cello; Taylor Ho Bynum, brass)
• on rare occasions, The Poppies

He has worked since 1986 with Chicago saxophonist and composer Ken Vandermark, releasing three acclaimed CDs; their most recent project is the group Tripleplay with bassist Nate McBride. He also plays with leading musicians including Hans Poppel, Joe Morris, James Rohr, Greg Kelley, and Jorrit Dijkstra.

Percussion Performances

Curt has been developing a solo drumset repetoire for several years, with original compositions, improvisations, and occasional works for drumset by other composers. Select peformances include

• an all-drumset concert with master drummers Alan Dawson and Bob Gullotti (1992)
• world premiere of John Zorn's Hwang Chin Ee for two drumsets and narrator (New England Conservatory, 1996)
• original transcription of Lutoslawski String Quartet for solo drumset (1997)
• activating Chen Zhen's sculpture Jue Chang (50 Strokes to Each) at Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art (2002)

Chen Zhen's Jue Chang

Education and Influences

Curt studied drum set with Bob Gullotti and has a Master of Music degree in Jazz Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music. His musical influences and interests, in no particular order, have included Max Roach, Andrew Cyrille, Steve Shelly, Gerry Hemingway, Joey Baron, Paul Lovens, Bob Gullotti, Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, Eric Dolphy, Cecil Taylor, Son House, Captain Beefheart, Igor Stravinsky, Iannis Xenakis, Witold Lutoslawski, and the traditional music of Morocco, Ghana, Egypt, Turkey and Greece.

photo by Ivan Shokin: Tonic, NYC, Aug 2001

last update: 12/31/03