Paul Wertico

Paul Wertico ( born January 5, 1953 in Chicago) is an American jazz drummer.

Paul Wertico began at the age of twelve, playing the drums, which he taught himself substantially, and played in the Illinois High School Band, which earned him a scholarship. After his school days he was much busy member of the Chicago music scene, worked in big bands, rock groups, with folk singers ( Terry Callier ) and also in jazz bands of free improvisation, as Earwax Control ( which he founded with the multi-instrumentalist Jeff Czech and keyboardist Gordon James ) and Spontaneous Composition Trio, in which he also one of the founders was next to Rich and bassist Doug Lofstrom Corpolongo. He also accompanied Larry Coryell, Bunky Green and Jack Bruce. He is best known as a member of the Pat Metheny Group, which he belonged from 1983 to 2001 and in which he replaced Danny Gottlieb. During this time worked on Metheny albums such as First Circle or We Live Here 1994. In the following years Wertico worked primarily in Illinois around Chicago and led his own fusion lineup, the trio with guitarist John Paul Wertico Moulder and bassist Eric Hochberg. He also worked with Kurt Elling, Jerry Goodman, Paul Winter and with pianist Laurence Hobgood and bassist Brian Torff in Union trio. In 1993 he recorded his first album under his own name (The Yin and the Yout ). After his time with Metheny, he also played in a trio with Larry Corryell. From 2000 to 2007 he was a member of the Eastern European progressive rock band SBB.

In 2004 Wertico was honored as one of the Chicago of the Year by the Chicago Tribune newspaper. He won from 1984 to 1998 with the Pat Metheny Group a total of seven Grammy Awards in jazz and rock area. As its main influence it denotes the drummer Roy Haynes.

Wertico taught as Head of Jazz Studies at Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and in the Department of Percussion School of Music at Northwestern University