Abraham Lagrimas, Jr. drummer, jazz composer, and multi-instrumentalist Abraham was born in March 1983 in the U.S. territory of Guam. His father, a U.S. Navy sailor and amateur musician, moved the family all over the Pacific Rim eventually settling in Hawaii. It was here that Abraham began playing drums at the age 4. Along with his two older brothers Eric and Glenn (also musicians), they formed a band playing mostly hard rock and heavy metal music. Within a few months, the power trio showcased their music at community events and private parties all over Hawaii. At the age of 10, Abraham started private studies on drums and continued for a year and a half. Now with a deeper understanding of the various styles of contemporary drumming, Abraham began expanding his musical palate. In middle school, he excelled in the concert band and was an integral part of the school's first jazz ensemble. Outside of class, he was selected to perform with the prestigious Hawaii Youth Symphony. In 1996, at the age of 13, Abraham was the Grand Prize winner in a world-wide competition sponsored by Modern Drummer Magazine and New York City's premier drum school, The Drummer's Collective. He was awarded a scholarship to their 4-week summer program. There, he gained valuable insight and instruction from top New York City drummers Ian Froman, Michael Lauren, Memo Acevido and Sandy Genarro. In 1999, another scholarship led him to Berklee College Of Music's summer performance program. In addition to studying and performing with Berklee's acclaimed faculty, the highlight of the program was studying advanced jazz theory with Tiger Okoshi. The following year, in 2000, Abraham was one of the youngest musicians chosen to participate in Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead Residency Program located at Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts. Not only did this program showcase the world's finest up-and-coming jazz artists, but also each participant's talent as jazz composers as well. Under the tutelage of Terrance Blanchard, John Patitucci, Wynard Harper, Nathan Davis, and George Cables, Abraham reworked his original composition "Headache" for its national debut at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage. While still in his teens, Abraham received two endorsement deals from major drum manufacturers (Paiste Cymbals and Vic Firth Drumsticks), earned a reputation as one of Hawaii's elite musicians, participated in a brief tour of the U.S. Midwest and performed in Japan. Aside from his drumming and composition skills, Abraham is equally proficient in other instruments such as the vibraphone, piano, guitar and ukulele. In the summer of 2001, Abraham graduated with honors from Waipahu High School, Hawaii. He is currently attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts where he was awarded their North American World Tour Scholarship. Working with renown artist/teachers such as Kenwood Dennard and Rod Morgenstein, Abraham continues to expand his reaches in the contemporary music market. As a Music Education major, Abraham is also one of the school's top-call drummers; appearing in numerous recitals, sessions and club dates in Boston and the Northeast. -04/03