Sean J. Kennedy (born September 20, 1971 in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

) is an American drum set player, percussionist, recording artist, author and educator. Kennedy's drumset method book ''Camp Jam: Rock Solid Drums'' was nominated as Educational Drum Book of the Year in the 2011 ''

Modern Drummer ''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public. ''Mo ...

'' magazine reader's poll. Kennedy's release ''Sixty Second Solos'' won 2nd Runner Up in the 2015 DRUMMIES, ''

DRUM! Magazine {{italic title ''DRUM!'' is a North American educational drumming magazine. It features artist profiles, product reviews, lessons and advanced transcriptions covering rock, pop and related styles of music. The magazine was launched in 1991 wi ...

'' an annual readers poll award. Kennedy has been officially recognized by

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for participating in "most people performing a drum roll online simultaneously", with Legacy 150 Celebrations Society, Vancouver, Canada. "Kaku, kupala, Fear in Neutral Buoyancy" an original orchestral composition by Sean J. Kennedy - premiered at Carnegie Hall, September 27, 2015, performed by Youth Philharmonic International Orchestra, conducted by Jose Luis Gomez. Since April 2016, Sean J. Kennedy has produced and hosted the music-industry podcast ''Backstage At The Enharmonic.'' Guests have included many musical innovators and legends including, Dame

Evelyn Glennie Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, (born 19 July 1965) is a Scottish people, Scottish percussionist. She was selected as one of the two laureates for the Polar Music Prize of 2015. Early life Glennie was born in Methlick, Aberdeenshire in Sco ...

Hal Blaine Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky; February 5, 1929 – March 11, 2019) was an American drummer and session musician, thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles. ...

Gordon Goodwin Gordon L. Goodwin (born 1954) is an American pianist, saxophonist, composer, arranger, and conductor. He is the leader of Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band. He has won four Grammy Awards and three Daytime Emmy Awards, and has received over twenty ...

Harold Jones (drummer) Harold Jones (born February 27, 1940) is an American traditional pop and jazz drummer who is best known as the drummer for Tony Bennett and for his five years with the Count Basie Orchestra. In a career spanning six decades, Jones has toured a ...

, Nitzan Haroz,

Donald Nally Donald Nally (born December 27, 1960) is an American conductor, chorus master, and professor of conducting, specializing in chamber choirs, opera, and new music. He is conductor of the professional new-music choir, The Crossing, based in Philadelp ...

Richie Cannata Richie Cannata (born March 3, 1949) is an American music producer, saxophonist, keyboardist and studio owner. He is most notable for playing saxophone in Billy Joel's band alongside Liberty DeVitto, Russell Javors, and Doug Stegmeyer. After leav ...

Jerry Weldon Jerry Weldon (born September 27, 1957) is a tenor saxophonist, noted for his involvement in various groups such as Lionel Hampton Orchestra and Harry Connick, Jr.'s big band. He is seen as a "veteran" of the New York jazz scene. Career Weldon g ...

Julian Bliss Julian Bliss (born 1989) is a British clarinettist and clarinet designer. He has performed as a soloist, chamber and jazz musician, notably with his teacher Sabine Meyer. He also designed the Bliss Clarinet for instrument manufacturer Leblanc (mu ...

and many others. Kennedy's "Lux Contritum (Broken Light)" an original choral piece with orchestral accompaniment commissioned by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia had its debut performance on April 17, 2018, at the Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was conducted by Kennedy. September 2018, Kennedy presented a TedX Talk called ''Happy Accidents: Drumming Up Serendipity'', which explores how serendipity, or happy accidents, can influence and change our lives. The talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxWilmington. In 2020 Kennedy founded The Rolling Buzzards Brigade, an American chamber ensemble that is located in

. The ensemble creates virtual performances of arrangements of 18th Century military/patriotic music. The group has received widespread press coverage in

, International Musician, the official journal of The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada., Irish Philadelphia, and Make Music Magazine. The group's recordings have also been premiered on US classical musical radio stations. Including WWFM, The Classical Network's show Cadenza with David Osenberg, and on WLRH 89.3 FM/HD Huntsville's 2020 4 July celebration, "Benjamin Franklin's Favorite Protest Song of the Revolutionary War" Reception within the drumming community has been overwhelmingly positive, culminating in an online interview at DrummerNation.com, hosted by Michael Vosbein, featuring Sean J. Kennedy, Bernie Dresel, Clayton Cameron and audio engineer Andrew Torre. Members of The Rolling Buzzards Brigade include: Sean J. Kennedy,

Bernie Dresel Bernard John Dresel Jr. (born November 12, 1961) is an American studio drummer and percussionist. He has been with multi-Grammy award-winning artists and recordings; most notably having performed and recorded extensively with The Brian Setzer O ...

, Clayton Cameron, Chris Colaneri, Chris Coletti, David Earll,

, Neil Grover, Nitzan Haroz, Heather High-Kennedy, Tawnee Lynn, David Lu, Sherrie Maricle, Dave Nelson, Chihiro Shibayama, Gabriel Staznik, and John Wooton. Sean J. Kennedy is a member of the

Percussive Arts Society Percussive Arts Society (PAS) is a non-profit organization for professional percussionists and percussion educators. It was founded in 1961 in the United States and has over 5,000 members in 40 American chapters, with another 28 chapters abroad. It ...

Drum Set Committee.

Discography

With The Sean J. Kennedy Quartet * ''Road to Wailea'' (2004) * ''Queen Anne's Revenge''(2007) featuring

Bob Mintzer Robert Alan Mintzer (born January 27, 1953) is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader. Early life Mintzer was born and raised in a Jewish family in New Rochelle, New York, on January 27, 1953. He attended the Inter ...

and

Liberty DeVitto Liberatori "Liberty" DeVitto (born August 8, 1950) is an American rock drummer. He is best known for his work as a drummer for New York singer-songwriter Billy Joel's recording and touring band. He has also been a session drummer on recordings of ...

* ''Hey! Where's My Tux?!'' (2013) With The KAV Trio * ''Outta' Here!'' (2011) With Ramblin' Ant & The Locust Street Band * '' Ramblin' Ant & The Locust Street Band'' (2010) With

Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale is a boys' choir and men's chorale based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, currently under the direction of Jeffrey R. Smith. They are known as "America's Ambassadors of Song" and are considered to be one of the best ...

* ''Celebrate the Sounds of the Season'' (2009) * ''Sing, Choir of Angels (DVD)'' (2011) * ''Celebrate the Sounds of the Season (with bonus disc)'' (2012) * ''Winter Wonderland'' (2016) With

Allentown Band The Allentown Band is a civilian concert band based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest civilian concert band in the United States, having been in continuous existence since its first documented performance on July 4, 1828, although it ...

* ''Our Band Heritage, Volume 17: Seasons Greetings'' (2002) * ''Our Band Heritage, Volume 18: Band on Broadway'' (2003) * ''Our Band Heritage, Volume 19: Sesquicentennial: The Music of John Philip Sousa'' (2004) * ''Our Band Heritage, Volume 20: A World of Marches'' (2005) With The Frank DiBussolo Quartet * ''Average White Cats'' (2010) With Olesia Gordynsky * ''You Remain'' (2012) With The Bob Wagner Quartet * ''Toot Suite'' (2018) With The Rolling Buzzards Brigade * ''The Downfall of Paris'' (2020) * ''Connecticut Halftime and The Three Camps'' (2020) With Gardyn Jazz Orchestra * ''Gardyn'' (2022)

Publications

"Camp Jam: Rock Solid Drums"

Carl Fischer Music Carl Fischer Music (founded in 1872) is a sheet music publisher based in New York City's East Village. The company has since moved to the Wall Street area in 2013. After 140 years, the company remains a family-owned business, publishing both perf ...

co-author

"I Used to Play Drums"

co-author

"Improvising and Soloing In The Pocket"

co-author

"Sixty Second Solos"

Alfred Music Alfred Music is an American music publishing company. Founded in New York in 1922, it is headquartered in Van Nuys, California, with additional branches in Miami, New York, Germany, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. History In New York City ...

"Help! I'm Not a Drummer!... but I have some in my ensemble"

June 2021 edition of

Modern Drummer Magazine ''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public. ''Mo ...

, featured article, "Mentor , Sean J. Kennedy Salutes Ray Deeley"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Sean J. Living people 1971 births American jazz composers American male jazz composers American jazz drummers Musicians from Philadelphia 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania 21st-century American drummers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians