Paul Wertico

Influenced as much by Elvin Jones, Roy Haynes, or Art Blakey as by Ginger Baker, Mitch Mitchell, or Keith Moon, Paul Wertico is an all-around drummer who built his reputation as a colorist with Pat Metheny. Although Wertico learned to play the snare drum in grade school, he is self-taught on the drum kit. By age 15, he was already playing professionally with various rock and jazz bands, and later his role as a star soloist with the Cary-Grove High School Band led to a music scholarship. In the early '70s, he left college and soon became a fixture of the Chicago music scene, pl...