Alex Platt
Drummer, Educator, Producer
This is where I will be reguarly posting videos, music links, and my thoughts about life in the music and music education world! I also have a YouTube Channel and a Facebook page (links below if you would like to subscribe to either. Enjoy!
NEWS 04/05/2018
NEW HORIZONS!!! After nearly five years of deliberation, I have made the decision to move back to my hometown of Bozeman, MT! It's an exciting change for me and feels like the right move. I have settled into a beautiful recording space and my room sound is better than it's ever been. Not to mention that Steinway piano! I am continuing to operate in L.A. on a case-by-case basis. I am also encouraging all of my L.A. musical colleagues to come and visit, for the scenery and for some gigs. And of course, I can do drum lessons and drum tracks for anyone, anywhere, anytime, right from my studio. Technology is nice!
Bozeman, MT has such a deep appreciation for the arts, especially music and (can you believe it?) JAZZ in particular! This town brought me up and supported my brother and I as we grew into our music careers. I felt it was time to come home and give back to the community that has given me so much.
My first Montana gig happened in Great Falls a few weeks ago during their western art festival, with the fabulous Britta Lee on keys and vox, and master bassist Rob Kohler. This was a special gig for me, in spite of it being just a dinner casual. Rob Kohler is one of my earliest musical mentors, and we've collaborated on-and-off ever since. It's a real honor and privilege being asked to join this project with him and Britta. Looking forward to more!
I played at Plonk in Bozeman last night with the inimitable Bob Bowman on bass, Silus Stewart on vibes, and another former teacher of mine, the great Craig Hall on guitar. What a night! No rehearsal, everything just came together perfectly, not to mention we had a big and appreciative audience. It was a honor indeed to perform with such spectacular players.
What a swell homecoming!
NEWS 10/14/2016
NEWS 05/14/2020: VIDS!
MUSIC, VIDEO, NEWST
I've been thinking for a while about starting entries on this website ... news, thoughts about music, etc. So, here goes!
Today I spoke with a young man who had just moved to Los Angeles and was looking for a gig teaching private lessons. Unlike some who might have blown him off, I decided that paying it forward was the right thing to do, and spent the next 30 minutes on the phone with him offering advice.
It's not easy to be even modestly successful in this town. I have managed to build a business, but I've fought tooth and nail for every gig, recording client, and student. One of the things I've realized in the process is that we are all a part of the same ecosystem, and it behooves us all to pay it forward as much as we can. Selfish players get left out of the mix ... and this principle works in the business ecology as well. There's plenty of work out there (though maybe not enough for all of us), but the more we all support each other in our endeavors, the better a chance we all have of finding a working situation that fits. I would just as soon refer nine clients to other professionals and take the one client who is a perfect fit. Those are the relationships that last the longest. I've had clients coming back to me regularly for years based on that criterion alone.
More to come! And please come back to this page and check for updated music, videos, and posts! I have some cool lesson videos in the works, and they will be posted soon!
Quarantine. It's only weird if you make it weird! Needless to say, I miss playing with all of my fellow musicians. And of course, I'm feeling the pain of watching all my gigs suddenly dry up. They'll be back, of course, but in the meantime, it's been mostly teaching online for me, and ... well, I've managed to take advantage of all the free time and keep myself busy in other ways! That means videos! I've been digging up some great performance videos I've done with some of my favorite fellow jazz musicians, and creating a few videos featuring drum solos, lessons, and random thoughts about music. I've also upgraded my studio significantly with an additional channel strip, the newest versions of all my software, and getting a massive new array of plug-ins. So yeah, I've been having some fun with all the quiet time. Not to mention, I recently was featured on the Emmy Award-winning PBS music series "11th and Grant" with the fabulous band BETTY JANE!
Enjoy the new videos, and subscribe to my YouTube channel while you're at it!