Dan Weiss

Three time Shifting Foundation grantee Dan Weiss has been hailed as one of the top five jazz drummers by The New York Times, and his large ensemble recording Fourteen made the top ten list of their best recordings of 2014. Weiss’s innovative drumming and forward-thinking compositions have been pushing musical limits for decades. Weiss’s intense study of jazz, classical Indian, contemporary classical, west African, and metal sets a musical platform that creates a sound that transcends conventional style or genre. His compositional trademarks are angular yet emotive melodies, complex through-composed drum parts, rhythmic cycles native to many non-western music, and melodic shapes drawing directly from the raga system found in Indian classical music.

He has released four recordings with his trio: Now Yes When (2006), Timshel (2011), Utica Box (2019), and Dedication (2022), which have been critically-acclaimed for their unique approach to song structure and endlessly creative improvisation. Weiss also leads his sixteen-piece large ensemble that features some of New York City’s most gifted musicians. The two albums Fourteen (2014) and Sixteen: Drummers Suite (2016), released on the Pi Recordings label, have made numerous critic polls. His project, Starebaby, which features Craig Taborn, Matt Mitchell, Ben Monder, and Trevor Dunn, is an amalgam of jazz, metal, and new music. They have two releases: Starebaby (2018) and Natural Selection (2020), both also on Pi. In 2024 Weiss put out a new trio record featuring Miguel Zenon and Matt Mitchell. Weiss also lead a quartet featuring Peter Evans, Patricia Brennan, and Miles Okazaki and they have put out a record on Pi Recordings called Unclassified Affections in 2025.

Weiss has been studying tabla under Pandit Samir Chatterjee for over twenty-five years. He has performed with the legendary Ashish Khan and Ramesh Misra and recorded a solo tabla CD 3dcd (2007). Weiss recorded two groundbreaking CDs Teental Drumset Solo (2005) and Jhaptal Drumset Solo ( 2011) where he performs classical Indian repertoire on drum set. Recently Weiss and longtime collaborator Miles Okazaki released a double LP titled Music for Drums and Guitar (2021).

He has toured and recorded with notable artists including Lee Konitz, Chris Potter, Jen Shyu, Linda May Han- Oh, Miguel Zenon, Jon Irabagon, Patricia Brennan , John Zorn and countless others. He has been featured as a sideman on over 100 recordings.

Weiss has been teaching for nearly 30 years and has given masterclasses all over the world. He has a dedicated Patreon page where he has over 800 video lessons up. He also has two online drum video courses on his website.

He has toured and recorded with notable artists including Lee Konitz, Chris Potter, Jen Shyu, Linda May Han- Oh, Miguel Zenon, Jon Irabagon, Patricia Brennan , John Zorn and countless others. He has been featured as a sideman on over 100 recordings.