A historically-rooted modern jazz voice

Julian Drumwright is a jazz drummer based in Washington, DC known for his exquisite time-keeping and feel, musical sensitivity, and light touch. He went professional at the age of 17, playing regular gigs with some of DC's hardest hitting jazz artists.

At Berklee College of Music in Boston, Julian quickly became an in-demand drummer, performing with Grammy-winning artists such as Danilo Pérez and Luis Perdomo. In 2023, Julian was one of just twenty students to receive a full-tuition scholarship to attend Berklee’s prestigious Master of Music in Global Jazz program. He has studied with jazz masters Billy Kilson, Danilo Pérez, Brian Blade, John Patitucci, Joe Lovano, Ralph Peterson, Adam Cruz, Marion Hayden, and Jon Hazilla.

Julian’s most profound drumming influences include Jimmy Cobb, Art Blakey, Tony Williams, Ari Hoenig, and Jeff Hamilton, whose sounds he synthesizes into his historically-rooted modern jazz voice. A member of the international folk dancing community, Julian brings his love for Balkan folk music into his forthcoming debut EP, where he explores music's capacity to build and strengthen communities.

Outside of drumming, Julian is passionate about musicology and is a deep lover of classical music. As a Berklee student he was a regular at Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts, and has authored papers on diverse topics such as the influence of the “Faust” legend in European concert music of the 19th and 20th centuries and the music of the contemporary Brazilian-American composer Felipe Lara. He has also written in-depth analyses of several of Beethoven's string quartets and of Olivier Messiaen’s kaleidoscopic orchestral work, Chronochromie. He is a language lover and speaks French and Spanish. Julian lives with his wife Niki and is babysitting his sister's cats.