CHAD WACKERMAN Jazz Rock Drummer, Studio Musician (Frank Zappa, Allan Holdsworth, James Taylor) 

What a legend. Humble, class act, monster of a player.

One of my FAVORITE drummers. He certainly does have an unmistakable sound!!!!

Other than his obvious talents; I truly admire Chad's heart and humility. Wonderful human being.

Glad I got to see Chad with Holdsworth in NY at the Bottom Line in 1991. One of the best shows I've ever seen.

Great drummer who clearly is a humble and dedicated person..oh and TALENTED.

Chad is the most relaxed drummer I have ever seen.

CW.... one of my favourite drummers.... awesome. 4.15 Bradford Executive... blows my mind every time.

Have to admit, I'm here because I am a FZ fan. And Frank employed many drummers, some times two at a time. But Chad stands out to me. He seemed so young when he joined Franks band, but he coped with every impossible task without breaking a sweat. (I mean that literally). So nice to watch this to hear in his own words what his mindset was, and what his early life was like. Only met Chad once. Big thrill for me, but it was in the Uk and he wasn't interested in chatting to a fan two parts drunk after a Banned from Utopia gig. Really admire the man.

Seen Chad many times playing with Frank Zappa and Allan Holdsworth! An amazing musician.

I was blessed to be your Tech thank you

Though not one of his more popular albums, I've always really liked Zappa's Broadway The Hard Way, and I think it has a lot to do with Chad's drumming on it. Solid stuff.

Chad is the best drummer I know.

The thing that makes you REALLY employable is "...Make everyone else sound better"...........Fantastic, as usual Dom AND, thanks Chad as well!

What a natural, normal attitude. Beautiful stuff.

Chad is a class act and a phenomenal drummer. Great interview!

I love Chad's compositions. Really beautiful. I was so sorry to hear about his personal loss 😭

I love Chad. One of the most easily recognized voices at the instrument.

I grew up with Chad in seal beach California and remember how talented he was. His dad John was my drum teacher. I now play bass and would love to see him again. This was in the 60s and 70s. J.h. mcgaugh

I saw Chad with Holdsworth and Jeff Berlin in '82. I had seen Chad at High School Jazz festivals in around '75. I believe he is a year or more younger than me. I watched him with the Jazz band and was very impressed. I mean I thought I was very good.... but not THAT good!! I wondered what would become of him, he was so good I thought it would be a crime for him not to make it big. Then I saw him with Allan. Beautiful drumming, syncopation, musical taste, he plays for the composition, (he could play fast too). Plus I am also a total Berlin fan. What I saw on that stage of Wolf and Rissmillers Country club was unforgettable.

At 11:09 he mentions Carlos Vega…Carlos told me about this 14 yr old prodigy named Chad Wackerman in 1974..

My favorite drummer. I heard Chad in 1987 on Holdsworth's Road Games and have been a fan ever since.

Chad is definitely an incredible drummer, and a really nice guy as well. I'm so fortunate to have seen him with Allan Holdsworth several times. His playing was just perfect for Allan's music. His style is so unique, and what he plays is so intricate and complex, yet he always looks so relaxed when he's playing. Chad is one of my very top favorite drummers. :)

Be a good father-- stay engaged with your children, look what happens.

One of my all-time favorite drummers. Superb player and never overplays.

atavachron is one of the most influential albums in my life....S\O Allan Holdsworth ,Jimmy Johnson,Alan Pasqua and Billy Childs and of course......

An awesome conversation.

I had the good fortune of seeing and hearing Chad at a gig with Carl Verheyen at The Baked Potato. It’s indescribable to be sitting 10 feet away from such masterful playing. I’ve also seen Louie Bellson. I wish I had seen Carlos Vega. All of these guys are so inspiring! Thanks, Dom

Saw him with Holdsworth in London and admire his material with Zappa. Hats off.

Chad may be the most likeable guy on the earth. and what an amazing musician. his work on Drowning Witch (song) simply blows me away. thanks for all your wonderful playing xx

Thanks and congratulations to Dom Famularo for this interview: Chad Wackerman is generally very reserved and bringing out his graceful spontaneity was a noticeable result. I admire Wackerman for the ease and intention with which he brings out the sound from the drums to any dynamics (where a "piano" is not necessarily a caress and a "forte" is not necessarily a slap) and with a breath and a roundness that tend to perfection. And then Chad has good taste and musical intelligence, so careful never to play the superfluous note or phrase and to stay not above or below the music but inside it. One of the biggest. Never pompous, neither with sticks nor with words.

one of most respected players in all of recorded drums. Nice and respectful himself and that counts. As he says, making others sound good and recognizing what others do well. Not stepping on toes. Vinnie, Chad, Terry.....you get those guys in a room and they all seem to share a deep respect for each other with no head trips.

What a wonderful dude... What a fantastic musician.

Great Interview ! Thanks Dom for connect me to Chad and mention me in the Interview... it was a great lesson with Chad in January. For me, as an old Zappa Fan, it was a pleasure to meet him... hope it will happen again. Also, Thanks to Chad again !

His daughter is in American Idol this season and she made it to Top 21. She just changed her name to Sophia James from Wackerman after her brother James.

Loved this. My favorite drummer!! Thank you.

The majority of great musicians have a great father in their lives!

AH! Thanks for posting -

What a great interview with one of the understated greats. Chad is world class with class!! So humble and articulate from someone with such a resume. Inspiring....

Nice interview, Chad Wakerman is a great drummer.Here he show his true self a true gentleman.Thank you for this post.

This interview is pure music chat gold! Epic!!!! Chad’s the BEST!

Thumbs down ? Seriously?! Who would give this a thumbs down? Such a wonderful interview and a phenomenal player.

I first saw Chad Wackerman play with Andy Summers's jazz fusion band in October 1990. I was in high school and I was blown away: Chad's playing was so smooth, effortless, yet powerful. Wish I could have had a teacher like him--he's so humble and sincere. Wonderful interview.

Agile, consistent, & always exciting to watch in the Holdsworth lineup, Chad covers all the bases. All the best to you Chad!! 👍🏼👍🏼

Excellent interview. Chad is my favorite all time

This is a very valuable interview with Chad.

Love Chads work with Zappa and of course Allan Holdsworth RIP. Look forward to hearing perhaps on RU-vid Your dep gig with JT whom I love.

Just to say wonderful interview Chad, Every answer you gave, your advice towards the end of the interview was very powerful & true. Dom you do such a great job on all projects your involved with especially when it comes to choosing only the finest players, players I know you love, players we all love. Just to say thanks for bringing these wonders of the world to us. I met you personally on one of your clinics in Croydon here in the UK many years ago, hope you don't mind but I had a stereo mike looped through my belt loops to record your performance, I still have it on cassette today. A friend of mine called Mouse (Allan) contacted you around that same period telling you of a Drummer he knew who was at a point in his Drumming career where by achieving the next level was depressingly frustrating, hitting brick walls, becoming stagnant in mind & thought etc, so Mouse (Allan) sent you a demo of this Drummer who had recorded some Dave Weckl Contemporary Drummer Plus 1 tunes. Well, that Drummer was me. You kindly wrote back to me with an abundance of self help & self belief truths which did raise my spirits enough to continue with my life long passion & commitment to Drums & Music. The letter you wrote to me after listening to my demo was nothing short of complimentary praise, I never got the chance to thank you, so Hat's off to you Dom. Only now I have some new Demo's, recorded on a Roland TD20, again Weckl Backing Tracks with Chick, Stern, Patitucci and so on, only with these latest recordings I can instantly hear the difference between now and 25 years ago in terms of technique, capability, improvisation, using ones ears to respond musically. Being totally self taught I can honestly say that I'm very happy with the way this latest demo has turned out, that's not to say I can sit back & relax because the level I'm now at only wants more & more of the unknown. I will post these demo's here on youtube hopefully this week, I'd be honored if you could do what you do best Dom, give them a listen. Kind Regards. Jonathan.

Interesting interview. Chad is such a great musician and always loved his work with Holdsworth. Chad is also a very talented composer himself and would have liked to hear his thoughts on that side of his work as well.

Chad Wackerman always makes me smile, let alone me being amazed and mesmerized by his playing. Thank you for posting!

Just wow! Really enjoyed that Interview, thank you for great 40min., it really inspired me!

World class. We all know about his chops playing difficult music, but he is a groover too! And for the best of both world, listen to him on the brand new Los Lobotomys. Brilliant!

i know mr wackerman because he was on my records of one of the greatest most unique musician/composersto ever walk the surface of the earth: Allan Halodsworth.

Amazing person, drummer, human! Talented and creative drummer

his brother brooks has the best chops ever, like hes so clean i dont understand

A great drummer, he always plays for the music. Reminds me of Matthew Modine a bit.

Chad è proprio una bella persona

Wonderful interview as always. Only thing is I would have liked him to ask Chad about his own records. Chad Wackerman's own compositions are beautiful. His album The View should be considered a classic.

chad come to argentina with steven wilson, replacing marco minemman... to be honest i was very disapointed, i really enjoy wackerman with holdsworth but...im a huge fan of the aristocrats and the way of wilson's album was recorded with marco. i just need one song to realized what a fool i was for feeling disapointed... wackerman can play everithing with everybody... the real CHAD of drummers :P

Great interview! Chad is such a down-to-earth guy with a great philosophy on life. I love his playing so much, especially with Holdsworth

What a great interview! Thanks!

Classy stuff! Hope to see one with Dennis Chambers.

one of the best Chad Wackerman

"Are you a good reader or are you a phenomenal reader?" "Here's my address,can you get here in a hour?" ..what balls it must of took to work with Frank.

I think that this is the Best "Sessions" interview I've seen to date. Chad Wackerman is such a gifted, humble and versatile musician... I Love his passion and the way he shared his insights, especially with such a diverse catalog of people he has worked with over the years.. Thank You to Chad and Dom for such a Great interview..

Now i am sad I didn't get a chance to study with chad. As I moved to Sydney he was moving back to the states. But we spoke about it.. i am going to get him online..Thanks fo bringing him on Cheers Dom and Crew Bless!

Thanks a lot.Chad is an amazing human being /musician/drummer.

Yes, I've been waiting for this one! I'll enjoy this!

Fantastic

I asked Chad about his solo record..why a fire truck and a map of breezy pt...nyc.on cover.....he had no idea

What a great watch an education.

Great interview, Keep Rockin!

probably my fave drummer

Τhank you so much Dom.

wonderful interview! thanks for this!

Awesome!

Thank You , WoW - Great Interview - Love you Chad

Another home run, Dom.

Fantastic interview!!

absolutely wonderful what a career

Amazing musician, great interview

Great video!👍

what a nice boy

Chad rules

Chad is one my favorites. However: Some times, work ethic does not cut it, good personality does not cut it, determination/confidence does not cut it. Great teacher does not cut it. all the things above (plus more) can be added to a lack of talent which will not cut it. Funny...all these successful musicians rarely talk about how hard work does not mean success, or even being mediocre.

How did Dom step over Chad's time with Holdsworth? The greatest musician to have lived in at least 100 years - and they skip him.

Thanks Dom and co!!!!

Superb interview!

FRAN ZAPPO.......................

Everyone mentions Gadd, but none or very few remembers Carlos Vega. The matter of the fact is that James Taylor gig was only for Carlos' shoes and nobody else. Full stop. Ermz :-(

Good lord, the intro music's so loud can barely hear what's being said 🙄

Why have you not talked to Ed Greene yet?

should have asked him wayyyyyyy more about playing with holdsworth.........

There’s only two types of music....good music and bad music!

I LOVE these interviews... but KEEP IN MIND that it's Human Nature to pursue topics YOU ALREADY KNOW. (Meaning, only those of us who know of Chad will click this interview on, meaning you're NOT turning NEW FANS onto his drumming.) (Even most drummers won't click it on, unless they've HEARD of him.) SOLUTION: rock music and movies know to PIGGYBACK: you'd go to see IRON BUTTERFLY, and accidentally catch their opening act LED ZEPPELIN. (Jazz does the opposite, to marginalize jazz: have NO opening acts, so no piggyback promoting.) YOU GO TO SEE A MOVIE, but the PREVIEWS get you interested in OTHER Movies. WHEN YOU INTERVIEW LEGENDS, you should consider putting a short clip at the END of these videos, where you interview even more obscure INNOVATORS. That way, 100% of Chad Wackerman fans who watch this interview, will become fans of BENNY GREB (or whomever, drummer or not) --- see? EVERY VIDEO YOU POST, should CROSS-promote, teaching your viewers about another musician they NEVER would've heard of, get it?

Chad is bad. nothing else to say.