TODD ISLER - Drums, World Percussion (Croton and Mohegan Lake Locations)

Drummer, percussionist, teacher and author Todd Isler has been active in the jazz and world music scenes for over 20 years. He co-leads the band, International Orange, which released their second album in 2018. He has released two original CDs, Two Step: Duets and Beyond and Soul Drums, and authored the book “You Can Ta Ka Di Mi This”, a manual for all musicians to ground and expand their sense of rhythm, using the South Indian Syllable system, published by Gerard and Sarzin in 2005, reprinted by Hal Leonard in 2017. Todd, along with the band Savane, won the Disc Makers Unsigned Band Contest. He was also a winner of the JAZZIZ Magazine Percussion On Fire contest. Todd has toured Africa under the Goethe Institute, and studied the South Indian Mrdangham with Ramnod V. Raghavan and Karaikudi R. Mani in India. Todd has also studied with Brazilian greats Portinho and Vanderlei, as well as extensive teaching and performances in Brazil.

In addition to his own releases Todd has played on hundreds of genre- crossing recordings and performed and/or recorded with a wide range of artists including Joe Lovano, Sting, Dave Liebman, Steve Turre, Mike Gordon, Melvin Sparks, Bakithi Kumalo, Brian Blade, Ivan Neville, Badal Roy, Mark Murphy, Betty Buckley, Francis Mbappe, Dave Kikoski, Leo Kottke, Jack McDuff, David Krakauer, Al Kooper, Charlie Burnham, and others. He has performed with several dance companies throughout the United States, many of whose performances featured his original compositions. Todd endorses Sonor Drums and Bosphorus cymbals.