Joe Peri
34 age
May 25, 1991 Birthday
Bergen County, New Jersey, U.S. Birthplace
www.joeperidrums.com Website
Social
About
Joe Peri is a jazz drummer, percussionist, and educator based in New York City. Since arriving in Manhattan in 2009, he has become a fixture of the city's jazz scene, performing regularly at top venues including Smalls, Mezzrow, The Jazz Gallery, Dizzy's Club, and Birdland. Peri's most high-profile credit came on Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga's Grammy-winning album "Love For Sale" (2021), on which he plays drums on four tracks. He released his debut album as a leader, "Perillä," in 2023 on Finland's Flame Jazz Records. Peri tours nationally with trumpeter Benny Benack III in the "Some Enchanted Evening" show and serves as percussionist in Isaac Mizrahi's cabaret band at the Café Carlyle. He teaches jazz drum set at the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College Division.
Trivia
The title of Joe Peri's debut album, "Perillä," was inspired by a Finnish cab driver who said "Saadaan Peri perille!" ("Let's get Peri to the destination!") — a play on both his surname and the Finnish word for "at the destination." Peri is married to Finnish jazz bassist Kaisa Mäensivu and lived in Helsinki during 2020–2021. He recorded with Tony Bennett when Bennett was 92 years old, on what became Bennett's final studio album.
Early Life
Joe Peri was born in 1991 in Bergen County, New Jersey. He began playing piano at age 6 and picked up percussion at age 9 in his elementary school. His instructors recognized his ability early and pushed him into more advanced ensembles, and he began studying privately with percussion teacher Gary Fink. In high school, Peri shifted his focus to the drum set, studying with Robert Kaufman, Dion Parsons, Rich Thompson, and Richard Huntley. During his final year of high school, he was admitted to the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College Division. He went on to earn both a Bachelor of Music (2013) and Master of Music (2015) from MSM, studying under John Riley of the Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, as well as Justin DiCioccio and Rogerio Boccato.