* En anglais uniquement
A gifted jazz drummer, Cleveland's
Carmen Castaldi emerged in the 1970s, and spent decades as a highly sought-after sideman, working on the West Coast with artists like longtime associate
Joe Lovano,
Frank Strazzeri, and
Keely Smith. In 2019, he paired with
Lovano and pianist
Marilyn Crispell for
Trio Tapestry.
Raised in Cleveland, Ohio,
Castaldi started playing jazz drums in his youth. After high school, he honed his skills at Boston's Berklee School of Music, where he attended alongside fellow Cleveland native, saxophonist
Joe Lovano. There he studied with noted performer/instructors
Joe Hunt,
Alan Dawson, and Ed Bobick. Graduating in 1974, he moved to Las Vegas and spent much of the next decade working with artists like
Keely Smith,
Don Rickles, and
Sonny Stitt. Relocating to Los Angeles, he continued to find performance opportunities, working with a bevy of West Coast luminaries including
Teddy Edwards,
Bill Perkins,
Frank Strazzeri, and
Herb Jeffries. During this period, he was also a member of the
Bob Gail Orchestra.
Over the years, he also stayed in touch with
Lovano, working with the acclaimed saxophonist on gigs at Los Angeles' the Jazz Bakery (with trumpeter
Tim Hagans), the San Diego Jazz Festival, and New York's the Knitting Factory (with pianist
Kenny Werner). In the mid-'90s,
Castaldi returned to Cleveland, where he led his own groups and continued his association with
Lovano, appearing on 2002's
Joe Lovano: Viva Caruso. In 2019, he joined the saxophonist and pianist
Marilyn Crispell for the ECM date
Trio Tapestry. ~ Matt Collar