Andy Gillmann
Independent, Teacher

www.andygillmann.de

Andy’s first important teacher was the jazz drummer Peter Weiss from Düsseldorfer. He took lessons from him for almost six years, starting at the age of fifteen. Andy has seen countless of Weiss’ concerts and was allowed to hang out backstage with the big Jazzcracks, taking in the scent of professional musicians. Every summer during this period he would visit the jazz and rock classes given in Remscheidt.

In 1987 Andy started his studies in Arnheim (NL), a fantastic and intense time full of music, sessions, extreme practicing, and a lot of musical and personal relationships that continue to this day. He had two great teachers, Rene Creemers and Joop van Eerven, who inspired and challenged him and whose lessons he looked forward to every week. In these five years of studies, Andy worked on and developed many subjects, concepts, systems, etc., from which he is still benefiting as a musician and teacher: chart-playing, transcribing, Basler drums, brush-playing, groove and fill-interpretations, sight-reading, clapping and notation, big band, combo, Latin and fusion ensembles, and hundreds of endless sessions till late into the night.

During his time in Arnheim he got his first professional gigs. He played with Harald Schmidt and Thomas Freitag in the Düsseldorfer Kommödchen, with his funk band Sixpack, on a US-Tour with the German Volksmusik singer Andy Borg and with many local acts from the Düsseldorf area. After finishing his studies in 1991, Andy moved to Cologne to join the Drummers Institute in Düsseldorf. There he published my first workshops in "Drums & Percussion."

Career highlights:
1992 - 1995
CD, Tour and TV with Toynbeehall, Impala, Gitte Haenning, Marla Glenn, Pe Werner
Endorsements with "Pearl" and "Sabian"
Ruhrrock Award with Toynbeehall
Workshops for the Dutch newspaper "Slagwerkkrant“ and the "Musikmagazin Fachblatt"

1996 - 1998
Teaching contract at the Musikhochschule Wuppertal for drumset
Musical: "The Little Shop of Horrors“ at the Cinedom in Cologne, "Grease“ in Düsseldorf
Arrangement of the Drumparts for the German musical "Beauty and the Beast.“
CD-recordings and approximately 100 shows in the Cologne Satorysaal.
1998 release of the drummer's teaching guide "Drummers Inspiration“ by Leu-Verlag (in collaboration with Rene Creemers)
Production of the 10-year anniversary CD of the "Drummers Institute“ in collaboration with Jan Rohlfing
Musical "Girls, girls, girls“ Cologne

1999 - 2002
"Das große Besenbuch“ by Leu Verlag
TV shows "7 Tage, 7 Köpfe“, WDR Comedy Produktion with Gaby Köster, Harald Schmidt and Kalle Pohl
CD Production with Impala (X over Jazz) and Toynbeehall (The last song), Katrin
Meinhold (Berührt von deinen Worten), Markus Watta (Spiritual), Mireille (Mibebaha)
Gigs with Markus Maria Profitlich, Leon Delray, Peter Bursch, Hakim Ludin, Marike Amado, Anne Haigis, Andy Galore, etc.

2003 - 2004
"TEAMWORK - Duos, Trios & Quarttete für Drumset “ - by Leu Verlag
Endorsements with MAPEX Drums and Anatolian Cymbals and Remo Drumheads
Workshops and Clinics: AGP-Event Luxembourg, Teacher Days Mannheim, Sound and Drumland Berlin, Drummers Institute - Düsseldorf, Drums & more - Austria, Concours, Luxembourg.
Own Band: Andy Gillmann & the Basic Instinct
DVD "Brushes Unlimited…” by Leu Verlag
Promo-Gigs for the DVD at the Frankfurt Musikmesse,
Endorsement with Regal Tip
Gigs with David Becker, Tony Liotta, Hinrich Franck, Leslie Morgan, Georg Ruby, Ralf Cetto etc.

-Discographie-
Impala – Mr.M.
Impala – X over Jazz
Toynbeehall – Steel, spirit, sacred songs
Toynbeehall – The last song
4 seasons in Jazz – Jubiläumsedition
Paradise Project feat. Stevie Woods – If paradise is half as nice
Marcus Watta – Spirituals
Die Schöne und das Biest – Das Musical
Katrin Meinhold – Berührt von deinen Worten
Mr. D. Music Sampler 1999
FC un Geißbock – Fan CD
Iris – Wie im richtigen Leben
Made in Essen – 1994
Made in Essen – 1999
Drummers Insitute 1988-1998
Kölner Jugend Chor Sankt Stephan – Oh happy day
Mireille – Mibebaha
Virgin - Virgin