Mick Berry

 

“Local phenom Mick Berry”

                 — San Francisco Chronicle

 

Hailing from  New Orleans, Mick Berry has been performing for over 50 years, including drumming, singing, acting (M.F.A. UNC Chapel Hill), hammered dulcimer, piano, stand up comedy, and four critically acclaimed one man shows. Additionally, he has co-authored three books: The Drummer's Bible / How to Play Every Drum Style from Afro-Cuban to Zydeco, The Bassist's Bible, and Stage Fright/ 40 stars tell you how they beat America’s number one fear.

 

Drumming: Live performances with saxophone master Craig Handy (of Mingus Dynasty), New Orleans piano virtuoso Henry Butler, Eddie Henderson (Trumpeter for Elvin Jones), Michael Wolff (Band leader for Arsenio Hall), and Paul Jackson Jr. (bassist/songwriter for Herbie Hancock and Head Hunters). Recording credits--CDs with members of Tower of Power, and others with sound engineer James Boblak (former assistant to Stuart Copeland of The Police). Studies--New Orleans virtuoso Stanton Moore, and New Orleans legends James Black and John Vidacovich; Classical percussion with Richard O'Donnel—principal percussionist with the St. Louis Symphony; Afro-Cuban drumming with Cuban master percussionist Walfredo Reyes Sr.; Latin music studies with internationally renowned Michael Spiro.

Acting: The California Conservatory Theatre, The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, The Marin Shakespeare Festival, and Playwrights Repertory Festival (Pensacola, Florida).

 

Stand Up Comedy: The Improv (Seattle; Tempe AZ; Santa Monica); The Comedy Connection (Boston); The Punchline (San Francisco); countless other venues throughout the United States.

 

Teaching credits include The Academy for Contemporary Music in Guildford, England, The California Shakespeare Festival, The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Haight Ashbury Music Center in San Francisco and Marin Music Center in Novato, California.

 

Hammered dulcimer performances range from The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, the Marin Shakespeare Festival, The San Francisco Mime Troupe, to the National Anthem for the San Francisco Giants (nine times).

 

Mick currently plays in several SF Bay Area bands, while teaching an ongoing private clientele of over 40 drumming students on a weekly basis.