453 - Davide DiRenzo: Working with Larry Klein, Staying Open When Collaborating, The Conundrum of In-Ears

Working Drummer

Davide DiRenzo is one of the most versatile and in-demand drummers in Canada, with an equally strong profile in the jazz, rock, pop and R&B scenes coast-to-coast and beyond. With years of studio experience under his belt working with some of the world’s top artists, Davide is now also working as a producer out of his home studio (Studio 86) in Toronto, Ontario. From there, he also records and sends drum tracks to artists and producers all over the globe.

Davide has performed and recorded extensively around the world with a wide range of artists including two time Grammy award-winning Cassandra Wilson. Other acts he’s performed and recorded with include Chaka Khan, Mariah Carey, Holly Cole, Feist, Kevin Breit, and just recently recorded and co-wrote three songs on Molly Johnson’s new album, “Meaning To Tell You” where he had the pleasure of working with multi grammy award-winning and internationally celebrated producer/musician, Larry Klein.

He has won six Juno awards to date, including two in 2007: one as a member of jackSoul (Best R&B Recording) and one as a band member with Tomi Swick (Best New Artist). He also received a National Jazz Award nomination the same year for Jazz Drummer of the Year.

In this episode, Davide talks about:

• How he creates dialogue with audio engineers
• Deciding how many options to provide in terms of mics/tracks
• How in-ears have affected how we experience our own playing
• Finding the volume where your drums and cymbals start sounding bad
• Working with producer Larry Klein on Molly Johnson’s record I Been Meanin’ to Tell Ya
• Submitting to the collaborative process and letting go of some control
• Collaborative producers vs. impresario producers