Jim Payne

Labeled the "Buddy Rich or Billy Cobham of funk drumming" by Jazz Times Magazine, Jim Payne has a long career as a drummer, educator, producer, and collaborator with the best musicians in jazz and funk.

Currently, he is a member of the online faculty at Berklee College of Music where he teaches R&B/Funk drumming to students from the U.S. and all over the world.

Jim has performed with Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Pee Wee Ellis, Michael Brecker, Dave Liebman, Slickaphonics, the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra, and The Jim Payne Band, among many others. His performance venues have included major European and U.S. jazz and blues festivals, including Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, and Paris Jazz Festival.

At King Snake Records in Orlando, Florida, he spent 3 years as a studio musician and producer, working with such stellar musicians as James Taylor, Edgar Winter and Lucky Peterson.

Payne is the author of several books, including Drumming with the Mambo King (written with the late Tito Puente). He has also released a number of albums and DVDs. He is a well-known clinician, having performed clinics at many colleges, drum stores, and the annual PASIC International Percussion Convention. He taught at Drummers Collective for 10 years, teaches privately at Drummers World in New York City, and also runs the Manhattan Jazz Workshop at the Church St. School of Music and Art. He is a regular contributor to Modern Drummer magazine.