Kevin Dorn, though still in his thirties, has been one of the busiest drummers in traditional jazz for years. He is dedicated to carrying on the tradition of the great ensemble drummers such as Cliff Leeman, Dave Tough, George Wettling, Buzzy Drootin and Morey Feld — drummers who played for the benefit of the band and who were masters of time.

 

As a teenager, Kevin listened to recordings of the great Eddie Condon band of the 1950s and decided that this was the music he wanted to play. Never straying from his passion, Kevin immersed himself in the music. This commitment and intensity has led to steady work with such stellar musicians as Dan Barrett, Ed Polcer, Dick Hyman, Allan Vaché, Johnny Varro, Bob Wilber, Warren Vaché, Dan Levinson, Mark Shane, Terry Blaine, Randy Sandke, Banu Gibson, Jon-Erik Kellso and Randy Reinhart.

 

From 2002 to 2004, Kevin was the drummer for the Jim Cullum Jazz Band, the nation’s foremost traditional jazz group, appearing on their weekly public radio show, Riverwalk: Live at The Landing. This was a very special period for Kevin, as the chance to play with the same band six nights a week gave him an experience that is almost impossible to come by in today’s jazz world.

 

Kevin has played at numerous jazz festivals and jazz parties, including the JVC Jazz Festival, Jazz at Chautauqua, the Atlanta Jazz Party, the North Carolina Jazz Festival, the Colorado Springs Jazz Party, the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival, the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, the Los Angeles Sweet & Hot Festival, the San Diego Jazz Festival, the Arizona Classic Jazz Festival, the Orange County Jazz Festival, the Nairn Jazz Festival in Scotland, and the Jeju Swing Camp in South Korea. Kevin has performed throughout Europe, Japan, the United States and South America.

Some of the bands that Kevin is a member of include the Yerba Buena Stompers, the Dimestore Romeos, the Baby Soda Jazz Band, the Brain Cloud, the Grand Street Stompers and the Anderson Twins Sextet. Kevin also leads his own band, the Big 72.

 

Always working towards improving, Kevin recently completed a very inspiring study with drum guru Allen Herman. Kevin himself has taught drumming at the United Nations International School, the Manhattan School of Music, and the Stanford Summer Jazz Workshop.