Photo credit http://www.lushlifefilm.com

Dimi Ditrow is a New York based jazz drummer and educator. He has the influence from the great masters such as Max Roach, Philly Joe Jones, Elvin Jones and Tonny Williams.

He was born in 1969 in Sofia, Bulgaria

Education:

First started playing drums at the age of 12.

1994 – National Music Academy Pancho Vladigerov, Sofia, Bulgaria – Master’s Degree, Percussion

1998 – Richard Strauss Konservatorium, Munich, Germany – Master’s Degree, Jazz Drums

Teaching Experience:

1994-1996 – Associate Professor at the National Music Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria. Dimi was the youngest professor to ever teach at the Percussion

Department

1999-2013 – Associate Professor at New Bulgarian University, Sofia, Bulgaria

2013 – Private Drum Instructor, NYC

Performance Experience:

Dimi started performing internationally at the age of 18 as the drummer for the Bulgarian National Youth Big Band, touring Russia and Ukraine. In 1998, he won the first place award as a Band Leader, in Youth Jazz Festival in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Since then, he has been one of the most in-demand jazz musicians on the scene in Bulgaria. In 2000, he created the series Jazz Sundays – weekly jazz concerts/jam sessions. At the time it was the only such series in Bulgaria. Jazz Sundays is still going strong today. Between 1999 and 2004, Dimitar was the drummer and rhythm section leader at the celebrated Bulgarian National Radio Big Band in Sofia, Bulgaria. He has recorded and toured extensively with the band. As a studio musician, with the BNR Big Band Dimi has recorded more than 30 albums. In 2003, he created “Jazz After Midnight”, a radio show of the Bulgarian National Radio, a program dedicated to broadcasting live jazz. In the past 15 years, Dimi Ditrow has performed at virtually all the important jazz forums in Bulgaria, the Balkans and at numerous festivals around Europe. In 2010, as the drummer of the acclaimed Bulgarian band Sentimental Swingers, he performed at the International Film Festival Gala in Cannes, France. Throughout his career, Dimi has performed with many world famous musicians, such as Grammy award-winners Randy Brecker, Christian McBride, Jerry Bergonzi, Michel Legrand, Rick Margitza and Valery Ponomarev among others. In 2009, Dimi and his wife started the project ‘Without Borders’, backed by the United States Embassy in Sofia, which featured a European tour with Dimi and a variety of top musicians, from around Europe and the United States. The project also included the documentary film “True Tales from Mardi Gras”, and a tour with the famous New Orlean’s Paulin Brothers Brass band.

Since 2013 based in New York City, Dimi’s activity has included performances at Smalls, Zinc Bar and numerous club and concert performances along the East Coast and Canada. He has had numerous projects with Paul Bolenback, Wayne Escoffery, Phil Grenadier and others, alongside being the Jazz MD for “JazzThursdays” summer jazz festival at Stuytown NYC, Peace Industry Music Group, VSPOT “Jazz And Jokes”, drum instructor at the Long Island Drum Centre and private drum teacher in NYC.