Dante Agostini (1 April 1921 – 21 April 1980) was an Italian-born French drummer and drumming teacher.

Biography

Agostini was born in

Mercatello sul Metauro Mercatello sul Metauro (Romagnol dialect, Romagnol: ''Mercatèl'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino in the Italy, Italian region Marche, located about west of Ancona and about southwest of Pesaro. Economy is most ...

on 1 April 1921. As a child he moved to the French commune of

Sin-le-Noble Sin-le-Noble (; pcd, Sin-le-Nope) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Population Notable people * Pierre-Jules Boulanger, born in 1885 in Sin-le-Noble: contributed in the manufacturing of the 2CV. * Simonne Ratel (19 ...

with his family, who left Italy due to the rise of fascism under

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...

. He began playing drums and accordion at the age of five and performed at a local ballroom in his family orchestra until being conscripted into the

compulsory work service The ' ( en, Compulsory Work Service; STO) was the forced enlistment and deportation of hundreds of thousands of French workers to Nazi Germany to work as forced labour for the German war effort during World War II. The STO was created under ...

during World War II. After the war he began drumming professionally with accordionist Joss Baselli before moving to Montmartre and joining Jacques Hélian's orchestra in 1952. He then entered the

Olympia The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...

orchestra, where he played alongside

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...

, and Charles Trenet, and later entered the Folies Bergère orchestra. After shows he played in jazz clubs, where he met visiting American musicians such as Miles Davis,

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

, and

Milt Jackson Milton Jackson (January 1, 1923 – October 9, 1999), nicknamed "Bags", was an American jazz vibraphonist, usually thought of as a bebop player, although he performed in several jazz idioms. He is especially remembered for his cool swinging solo ...

, whose Hard bop music inspired his teaching methods. In 1965, he and the American jazz drummer Kenny Clarke founded a school of drumming that bears his name at the headquarters of the instrument maker Henri Selmer Paris, where they developed a method for drum-teaching. The comprises more than thirty volumes and three CD's. His school now has locations in France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Morocco, and Switzerland. He also developed a notation system to indicate aspects of drumming compositions (e.g. fingerings). He died on 21 April 1980, aged 59.

Publications

References

External links

Official site of drumming school
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agostini, Dante French jazz drummers Male drummers French male jazz musicians French music educators People from the Province of Pesaro and Urbino People of Marchesan descent Italian emigrants to France French World War II forced labourers 20th-century French male musicians 1921 births 1980 deaths