Drummer taps into his inner self




JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers DIFFERENT DRUMMER—Drummer  Robin  DiMaggio  shows would-be musicians how to keep the beat on his newly released DVD.  DiMaggio,  who  has  toured  worldwide  with  many  top performers,  encourages young musicians to go for it.

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers DIFFERENT DRUMMER—Drummer Robin DiMaggio shows would-be musicians how to keep the beat on his newly released DVD. DiMaggio, who has toured worldwide with many top performers, encourages young musicians to go for it. “Don’t worry if you’re good or not,” he says. “What matters is how you feel.”


Longtime professional musician Robin DiMaggio of Agoura Hills has a new DVD on tap that teaches aspiring musicians how to play the drums.

The 37-year-old DiMaggio, who has toured and recorded with such artists as Paul McCartney, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, David Bowie, Mariah Carey, Snoop Dog, Jennifer Lopez and Celine Dion, released “Planet Groove” in English and French. The course discusses nine different DiMaggio drumming styles through 24 lessons.

The teacher says you don’t have to be a Ringo Starr to play the drums well.

“Don’t worry if you’re good or not,” DiMaggio says. “What matters is how you feel about what you’re doing.”

In addition to drums and percussion, DiMaggio plays piano, bass, saxophone and clarinet. He is also a songwriter, composer, conductor, arranger, producer and engineer who has worked in every musical genre, including jazz, pop, rock, rap, country and classical.

His albums include “Blue Planet,” a musical tribute to his world travels, and “Sphere,” a collection of piano solos. DiMaggio has performed at the Grammys, the American Music Awards, the World Music Awards in Monte Carlo and the MTV Awards, and has appeared on several television shows including “David Letterman,” the “Aresenio Hall Show” and “Soul Train.”

DiMaggio says there’s room for improvement at every level of the game. “I have a motto: If better is possible then good is not enough. I spread that everywhere I can because I think people need to hear that.”

DiMaggio has lived in Agoura Hills since 1999. His three children, ages 10, 12 and 13, attend local schools.

Each year Dimaggio’s work takes him to more than 100 cities in 50 different countries, but he says there’s no place like home.

“I appreciate, I love and I respect everything about this country and what it has to offer,” DiMaggio said. “You can criticize it all you want but travel somewhere else and you’ll come back quickly.”

One of DiMaggio’s goals is to provide monetary or emotional support to aspiring musicians.

“When I see somebody who has an opportunity to do something specific in the music area I try to help them whether it’s to get gear or sitting with them and discussing how to motivate and be motivated.”

He advises musicians to put together a band and play live in front of people whether it’s on a city street or in front of friends and family.

Play, listen and perform, he says.

“You need that experience and then you can walk into a studio with giant names and not be completely afraid or embarrassed or nervous. I’ve heard so many people say ‘I used to play drums when I was young’ or ‘I have a drum set in the garage.’ If you’re just playing in a garage there’s nowhere for you to go.”

DiMaggio’s future projects include serving as musical director for the United Nations Awards in Manhattan in February and directing the largest rock opera ever created by the Vatican. The Italy project, scheduled for 2010, will include a live concert simulcast from Rome and New York in two cathedrals with two choirs and a symphony orchestra.

DiMaggio was born in Paris to a French mother and an Italian father, Christian DiMaggio, who was the conductor of the National Orchestra of Paris. DiMaggio is fluent in French, Italian and English.

In the late 1980s, when DiMaggio was 12, his family moved to Los Angeles where his father worked with the famous American composer John Williams.

DiMaggio began playing drums at age two. By five he began formal musical studies.

“I kind of caught on really quickly. Once you know how to read music it’s quick,” DiMaggio says.

By the time he was 15 he was playing with legends such as Ray Charles and Sammy Davis Jr. at the Hollywood Bowl. At 16, he was asked to perform at the Amnesty International Concert with Tracy Chapman.

What DiMaggio loves most about drumming is the pleasure that it brings to others.

“When I watch 100,000 people in the audience moving their heads, their bodies, the energy, it shows I’m doing my job. I’m giving them the rhythm. It’s the rhythm of life,” DiMaggio said. “I get inspired by people being happy and inspired by what they feel.”

For more information, visit www.robindimaggio.net.

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