I first encountered drummer Gianluca Pellerito through social media and quickly became one of his 330k followers on Instagram, but it was seeing this uniquely talented player up close, blowing up a small stage in London with American pianist Julian Pollock’s J3PO band last summer, that took my interest to another level.
Performing tracks that night from Pollock’s Soul & Circuitry album (alongside inspired reimaginings of My Favourite Things and that funky Headhunters staple, Sly), Pellerito’s slick, open-handed pocket grooves, typhoon-like solos and hip display of displaced dance patterns between an acoustic kit and sample-triggering pads, resonated with all in the room. At times his playing brought many of those slack-jawed in attendance to their feet for a closer look.
Observing him from the side of the stage, witness to his fearless energy, incredible speed, independence and jaw-dropping improvisational skills, I knew that the J3PO gig is one the gifted 31-year-old is more than at home with: a space to improvise, groove, stretch and swing, in equal measure. Pellerito was a fan of Pollock’s work with the infamous New York underground hip-hop project Lesson GK. His name was originally put forward for a tour of Italy two years ago but he has played on all the pianist’s European dates since.
‘Playing with Julian (Pollock) is honestly one of my favourite musical experiences. His music allows me to be creative and express my personality fully’
“Playing with Julian is honestly one of my favourite musical experiences” the drummer enthuses in an email interview days after the tour, once back home in Milan. “His music allows me to be creative and express my personality fully. The challenges in that band have always been positive too. Dynamics are essential and so I love experimenting with brushes, hot rods and regular sticks. I also get a chance to take several solos in the set, sometimes over vamps or punctuated with hits, which always pushes me further.
Conduct any research on the corkscrew-haired drummer or dip into the diverse playlist of studio recordings assembled under his name on Spotify and you’ll discover he’s been pushing himself all of his playing life. Born and raised in Palermo, the capital island city of Sicily, Pellerito first picked up drumsticks aged two, inspired by disco-funk outfits like Earth Wind & Fire and Incognito. While not coming from a musical family per se, his parents and sister were big music lovers and there was always a drum set at home as his dad played for fun. “My father stopped drumming when I was four years-old; by then I had already stolen all his grooves and fills” he quips.
It’s no joke that Pellerito advanced quickly from a frighteningly young age. Yet while he did work with a few teachers in Palermo that provided him with some important technical foundations, the drummer today considers himself mostly self-taught. “Mainly because I was always searching for my own voice and sound, I often went deeper on my own into the basics I learned in lessons” he says. During his formative years, Pellerito also picked up a little piano and some guitar, but insists drums always remained his chief focus. “What I did develop, however, was my ear, and even without mastering other instruments, I trained myself to recognise everything happening in the music. This has been fundamental in building interplay with other musicians, and in adapting to any situation I play in.”
Despite describing the Palermo music scene as “complete and versatile”, offering plenty of opportunities if one knew where to look, Pellerito eventually left for the States aged 21 to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
At this point in the young prodigy’s backstory one has to wonder how many percussion students enrolling at the prestigious college that year had already performed their first concert at the age of eight, become the youngest musician to lead a band at the Blue Note in Milan at 14, received an official invitation from the Kennedy Family to perform at the Kennedy Centre at 16, represented Italian jazz at the 2012 Olympics and recorded two albums, the first with Peter Erskine and Alex Acuna (Three Drums Show, 2009) and the other as leader, honouring the music of Herbie Hancock (Jazz My Way, 2013).
Surely achieving so much so early must have placed a lot of pressure on the drum wunderkind? “At the time I didn’t feel much pressure, partly because I was a kid, and partly because I didn’t even have time to think about it” he recalls.
‘When I was working with Peter and Alex, I was so young that I didn’t fully realise the greatness of the masters I was playing with. Looking back now, it fills me with pride’
“I was focused on practising, improving, and absorbing as much as I could. When I was working with Peter and Alex, I was so young that I didn’t fully realise the greatness of the masters I was playing with. Looking back now, it fills me with pride. Alex offered me a unique percussive approach to drum set, whereas Peter gave me a strong foundation in jazz and approach to fills. He also helped me find my approach to playing the ride cymbal.”
Following the recording with Acuna and Erskine, the latter even wrote several letters of recommendation for Pellerito’s Berklee application, which subsequently led to him spending what he describes as a “life changing” two and a half years of study, working under the guidance of players such as James Murphy, Terri Lyne Carrington and Ron Savage and thus refocusing his overall thinking and approach to music and performance.
“I felt like I became more of a musician than just a drummer there. The interaction with other students, the ensembles, labs, everything the school offered completely changed how I think about the instrument. When I was at Berklee I completely transformed my practice methods and approach. I was practising for 8-12 hours a day, just on drums. What shaped my sound, and what remains my focus today though, was consistency, playing with as many people as possible, staying updated and constantly seeking new influences on drums and in music.
On the subject of drum influences, and players that he feels “launched him into his journey”, Pellerito honours heavyweights such as Ronald Bruner Jr, Vinnie Colauita, Dennis Chambers, Robert “Sput” Sealight, Mike Mitchell, Dave Weckl, Chris Dave, Lenny “the Ox” and Billy Cobham, the first open-handed drummer he witnessed.
“Watching Billy live and on DVDs inspired me hugely” he says. “I’m left-handed, I play open-handed, but I’m right-footed and Billy gave me the confidence to keep playing exactly the way I started without needing to change my setup.”
Disclosing his “desert island discs”, significant records that he still spins regularly include Kenny Garrett’s Sounds From The Ancestors, all three volumes of Robert Glasper’s Black Radio, It Is What It Is and Drunk from Thundercat, Scott Kinsey’s Kinesthetics and Valerie Stepanov’s first two albums. Then there’s what he calls “timeless inspirations” from the likes of Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Weather Report, Earth Wind and Fire and Michael Jackson.
While the drummer’s own early recordings are now out of circulation, and therefore hard to track down, there is plenty of Pellerito’s recorded work available to stream on the aforementioned Spotify playlist. Flipping through the mix, it’s easy to detect much of what musically inspires him, in both the diversity of the music and the versatility of his playing. Tracks take in everything from the experimental neo-soul jazz of Family Habits, jazz-inspired pop from Fool Arcana, full-blown fusion courtesy of eclectic bassist Lorenzo Feliciati, a Kraftwerk-meets-drum & bass-licked track by artist and producer Ze in the Clouds, smooth R&B from Yndigo, heavy, experimental soundscapes from Tannu Tuwa and some Latin-inspired fusion-rock from Matteo Mancuso, an Italian guitar player with whom Pellerito is currently working on a new album.
“Matteo is an extraordinary player, and we’ve been working together since 2023” Pellerito says. “Beyond being one of my closest friends, he’s also one of the musicians I admire most. We’ve already shared major stages such as the North Sea , Montreal and Montreux Jazz Festivals plus many others, and through our collaboration I was also honoured to be named jazz drummer of 2024 by [popular drum channel] Drumeo, who recognised the work I’ve been doing”.
When pushed for what would be his dream-gig wishlist, he says ‘Of course, I’d love to play with artists like Thundercat, Kenny Garrett, Robert Glasper and maybe on the pop side Charlie Puth’
Another notable project Pellerito has been busy recording with is a decidedly funky, electronica-influenced outfit featuring Riccardo Olivia, electric bassist on the JP30 gig. “Twins Not Twins was born from a desire between myself and Riccardo to create our own project, write our own music, and also be a versatile unit ready to support other musicians who might need us” Perrerito explains. “In fact, playing with Julian was one of the main reasons behind creating this project. He needed a drummer and bassist with strong interplay, ready and versatile, and that became one of our missions”.
To date, TNT have released three tracks, each featuring guest artists (Anomalie, Valerie Stepanov and Anatole Muster), with the plan, moving forward, to release another track to complete an EP before taking themselves back to the studio to work on new material and an equally potent live show. Bass-heavy and bright with synths, funky clavinet, guitar and various FX, the music here presents Pellerito’s playing in a predominantly beat-orientated style, his heavy, hi-hat-hissing grooves leaning towards what you’d expect to hear in heavy rock, dance or, more so, hip-hop.
“Hip-hop is definitely one of my favourite genres” Pellerito points out. “Dilla’s music has been really important to me in recent years, and Robert Glasper has also been a big influence on me in this area. One of my favourite drummers, Jason Tyson, also inspired me a lot in how to blend hip-hop elements into jazz. I also studied players like Chris Dave and Lenny “The Ox” when preparing for Julian Pollock’s music to capture that groove-oriented direction. In fact, Lenny was a major inspiration for me in this. He’s the legendary drummer from Lessons GK, and truly a master of electronics.
“I play the Roland SPD (sampler pad) with Julian but it’s not the first project where I’ve used it” he adds. “I’ve also had experience in pop, where it’s very common. With Julian’s music though, the electronic element goes beyond just kick and snare samples. It becomes almost equal to the acoustic drums, because it helps blend everything with his sound world.”
While Pellerito maintains that the key to his dream gig is having the freedom to express himself 100%, and that Julian (Pollock) and Matteo (Mancuso) already represent his perfect musical settings, he expresses more than an interest in expanding on his already broad musical experiences.
When pushed for what would be his dream-gig wishlist, he says “Of course, I’d love to play with artists like Thundercat, Kenny Garrett, Robert Glasper and maybe on the pop side Charlie Puth. He’s one of my absolute favourites. It would be a dream to play with him” he enthuses. “But honestly, anything can happen. For now, I’ll keep playing, updating my social media, sharing my videos and continue my personal practice and growth as both a drummer and human being with determination and humility. Each day brings new challenges, and I’m ready to chase all of my dreams…”
