Hailed by The New York Times as “a drummer around whom a cult of admiration has formed,” Grammy-nominated superstar drummer & composer Mark Guiliana brings an adventurous spirit, eclectic palette, and gift for spontaneous invention to a staggering range of styles. Equally virtuosic playing acoustic jazz, boundary-stretching electronic music, or next-level rock, he’s become a key collaborator with such original sonic thinkers as St. Vincent, Matt Cameron (Pearl Jam/Soundgarden), Brad Mehldau, M83, Meshell Ndegeocello, and the late, great David Bowie.
Guiliana is set to release his first entirely solo album on July 12, 2024 entitled ‘MARK’ (Edition Records), where he is on full display as a composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist – performing and layering percussion, piano, synthesizers and more. This new foray into his growing body of renowned work, recorded at Studio 606 in Los Angeles, is a culmination of Guiliana's experiences and inspirations, and at the same time the catalyst of a new direction. 'MARK' follows his first two acclaimed Edition Records albums 'the sound of listening' and 'Mischief'.
Guiliana was born and raised in New Jersey, and attended William Paterson University, where he graduated in 2003 with a degree in Jazz Studies and Performance.
Mark Guiliana is a drummer, composer, educator, producer and founder of Beat Music Productions, through which he released My Life Starts Now and Beat Music: The Los Angeles Improvisations as a bandleader.
His conceptual approach to the instrument is also featured in Mehliana, the electric duo featuring Brad Mehldau on keyboards and synthesizers. The group's debut album, Taming the Dragon (Nonesuch), was released in early 2014.
Over the past decade, Guiliana's extensive touring has taken him across six continents with artists including Meshell Ndegeocello, Gretchen Parlato, Avishai Cohen, Matisyahu, Lionel Loueke, Now vs. Now, Dhafer Youssef, Beat Music and Heernt. He has also appeared on over 30 recordings to date, including Blackstar, David Bowie's final album.
Guiliana was described by The New York Times as “a drummer around whom a cult of admiration has formed,” while Time Out wrote, "What happens when you add hard bop drum masters Elvin Jones and Art Blakey to a 1980s Roland 808 drum machine, divide the result by J Dilla and then multiply to the power of Squarepusher? Answer: Mark Guiliana."
Guiliana endorses Istanbul Agop Cymbals