Cagwin Jarrod

Born and raised in rural Iowa, in the central United States, in 1992 received a scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.   There he was exposed to a very cosmopolitan musical atmosphere with students coming from all corners of the globe.  He studied percussion and drums under professor Jamey Haddad and was exposed to various hand drumming techniques from India, the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Brazil.  In 1995 he received a grant to study South Indian drumming techniques with Trichy Sankaran at York University in Toronto, Ontario.  Upon graduation in 1996 he moved to New York City, subsequently performing and recording in a variety of contemporary and traditional music formations.   In 1999 he began working with the Rabih Abou-Khalil Group, shortly thereafter  relocating to Europe where he has been actively touring and teaching throughout the continent.  He works closely with Eckermann Drums in Vienna, Austria, designing frame drums and drum sets.   He has traveled and done extensive field studies the Middle East and North and West Africa, which has produced a unique percussion & drum set performance style.