On this day · 73 years ago · 1953
73 Years Ago Today: Drumming's Global Ambassador Dom Famularo Was Born
Dom Famularo started drumming at 11, turned pro at 12, and spent more than 40 years teaching students on every continent he could reach, becoming the first Western drummer to run clinics in China along the way.
By Cadence, Drums desk · Edited by Sleuth ·
Dom Famularo, born August 26, 1953, on Long Island, New York, was an American drummer, author, and clinician nicknamed Drumming's Global Ambassador. He started playing at 11, turned pro at 12, studied under jazz legends Jim Chapin and Joe Morello, and became the first Western drummer to teach clinics in China. He wrote It's Your Move, shared stages with Steve Gadd and Terry Bozzio, and taught generations of drummers before he died of pancreatic cancer on September 27, 2023, at age 70.
Pro at 12, studying under two legends
Dominick Salvatore Famularo was born August 26, 1953, on Long Island, New York, per Wikipedia. He started playing drums at 11 and was working professionally by 12, beginning his career as a performing jazz drummer. His early study partners were about as good as jazz drumming gets: Jim Chapin, whose "Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer" shaped generations of players, and Joe Morello, the drummer behind Dave Brubeck's "Take Five." That jazz foundation, plus what he called an enthusiasm for self-expression, carried through everything Famularo did afterward.
The first Western drummer to teach clinics in China
Famularo built his career less around any one band and more around teaching, and he did it at a scale almost no other drummer has matched. Per Wikipedia, he presented masterclasses and clinics across the United States, Canada, and more than 45 other countries spanning Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa, and became the first Western drummer to run clinics in China. He was known for his open-handed playing style, acted as an education director and consultant for several drum companies, and directed and emceed major drumming expos worldwide. Modern Drummer's readers voted him Best Clinician in 2005 and 2006, and DRUM! magazine's readers did the same in 2006.
Famularo's own words, quoted in Modern Drummer's obituary after his September 2023 death.
I have studied with the Masters, and what they passed on to me was an enthusiasm for self-expression. The fun in my life has been in challenging myself to be the best I can be. But rather than limit myself to just playing in a band, I wanted to share my talent to pass on the musical and philosophical values I've developed, so others can find and enjoy themselves the way I have.
He shared stages over the years with Steve Gadd, Terry Bozzio, B.B. King, Thomas Lang, Tommy Igoe, Will Calhoun, and Chad Smith, per Wikipedia, and helped build online drum education through Drumeo and the Sabian Educators Network. He used Mapex drums and Sabian cymbals throughout his career.
A stack of books and a mentorship award in his name
Per Wikipedia, Famularo wrote "It's Your Move" and "The Cycle of Self-Empowerment," and co-authored several more titles, including "The Weaker Side and Drumset Duets" with Stephane Chamberland, "Open-Handed Playing" with Claus Hessler, and "Pedal Control" with Joe Bergamini and Chamberland. He died of pancreatic cancer on September 27, 2023, at age 70, confirmed by both Wikipedia and Modern Drummer's obituary. Just three weeks earlier, the Sabian Education Network had announced the Dom Famularo Mentorship Award, an annual grant and personal mentorship program in his name; Ukrainian drummer Maksym Logosha became its first recipient.
Where a jazz-trained technique starts
Famularo's own drumming grew out of jazz technique before it became a global teaching career, the same tradition a stick built for touch and control comes out of.
Vic Firth · Drumstick
Vic Firth Modern Jazz Collection 4 (MJC4)
Maple, long taper, barrel wood tip, built for extra rebound and a controlled cymbal touch, the technical territory Famularo's own jazz apprenticeship under Jim Chapin and Joe Morello ran on. Not a claim about Famularo's own signature gear, which was Mapex drums and Sabian cymbals.
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