20-Month-Old Drumliner!
Catagory: world-drumline-news
Issue 6
The World’s Youngest Drumline Member – found at last
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI.
Julian Pavone may be the only drummer who plays with a pacifier in his mouth, but it’s all good considering Julian is just 20 months old.
Some say that this child from just outside Detroit is destined to ROCK!
Julian, perhaps the world’s youngest professional drummer, can keep the rhythm of songs and execute drum rolls. Just like his cute counterpart, the Energizer Bunny, this kid can play and play – for as long as 30 minutes.
Legendary jazz bassist Ralphe Armstrong has recently “jammed” with Julian and had this to say, “It’s spooky. The kid’s a genius. When I play with him, I feel he is the reincarnation of a Buddy Rich or Tony Williams with whom I played. It frightens me he is so good.”
“When we look at each other, we communicate about the music. And he has phrasing, mathematical phrasing. It seems the harder the arrangements, the better he plays.
“At times, he almost made me cry.”
William Winfield III, drum coordinator for the Cleveland Cavaliers is convinced. “When I heard about him from Bernadino Pavone (Julian’s father), I told him I had to see for myself. Well, I hit the drums when Julian came to try out, he would repeat what I did. He executed syncopated rhythms and did technical stuff that, of course, he does not know consciously he is doing. I can’t imagine what he’ll be like in two years.”
Winfield, who is founder of the United Drumline, a nonprofit organization which helps young people in their teens learn drum basics, signed Julian as a Drumline member and Julian will join the drumline to play at Cavaliers games.
With Armstrong and Winfield, Little Julian has recorded a CD on the Peacock Records, Inc. label. The CD is called “Go Baby.”
Pushy Parents? Not according to Lisa, Julian’s mother. Lisa, who is also a medical doctor, explains that her husband may have helped spark this youngster’s interest in drumming, but now it is all Julian. “Bernadino [husband] would put Julian on his lap with earphones and drumsticks in his hands when he was about three months old.”
“Julian would hold the sticks and hit the drums. The noise did not bother him, as Julian got older,” she explained, “he played from a high chair and now he plays a half hour at a time at the drums. Sometimes as much as two hours a day, He’ll ask to play the drums. He just enjoys it.”