DWF 2008 - Jojo Mayer
The closing act didn’t have it easy. Jojo was suffering from a serious throat infection—though you wouldn’t have guessed it. His unmatched grooves and strokes remained masterful, and Jojo proved exactly why he was chosen to close the fifth edition.
Drummers you MUST see and hear. Jojo Mayer, for instance. Son of a bassist, he sat behind his first drum kit at the age of two and is also a gifted magician—both with sticks and with cards.
At just eighteen (!) Jojo played alongside master pianist Monty Alexander at major European jazz festivals, soon touring with legends like Dizzy Gillespie, Nina Simone, and many others—from Hiram Bullock and Leni Stern (who played last year at Drumworld Festival!) to the Screaming Headless Torsos, the Vienna Art Orchestra, and Vernon Reid. A nearly unbelievable mix of styles, with Jojo’s electrifying playing always at the center. A fiery groove and relentless virtuosity, with Swiss clock precision—but delivered with pure joy.
With a global background in jazz, pop, rock, and improvised music, Mayer has recently specialized in live breakbeats, jungle, drum ’n bass, and nu-skool breaks. His Secret Weapons For The Modern Drummer is among the best-selling drum DVDs today.
Photography: Arjan Aelmans & Arthur van Uden
