Craig Pilo


Craig Pilo is an American drummer who has performed with Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, Maynard Ferguson, Edgar Winter, Deniece Williams, Pat Boone, the Red Elvises, and Player. The Los Angeles Music Awards named Pilo "Best Jazz Artist of 2007" for his debut album, Just Play.''

Career

Pilo received his bachelor's degree in drum performance from the University of North Texas College of Music in 1995, and soon began touring with trumpeter Maynard Ferguson on the "One More Trip To Birdland" Tour. Pilo's film & TV music department credits as drummer: Ally McBeal, ''Sex and the City, CSI: Miami, Malcolm in the Middle, Sabrina, The Osbournes, Basic, Boston Public, and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.
Pilo's mentors include Alan Dawson, Ed Soph, Dave Weckl, and Jeff Hamilton.
Pilo has performed internationally and coast-to-coast in North America. One such notable performance was with Frankie Valli, in a PBS/NPR special, A Capitol Fourth, July 4, 2014, from the United States Capitol, which had an attendance of 300,000 and a television audience of 6 million. Pilo has released three solo albums: Just Play, Unsupervised, and Drummer Boy. He has written on the music industry for Modern Drummer'' magazine, and currently teaches drum performance and music business at the California College of Music.

Selected discography

; As leader

  1. This-n-That

    Craig Pilo, Inc.
  2. Just Play

    Roman Dudok, Doug Webb, Mitchel Forman, Ed Czach, Bart Somelis, Keith Hubacher, Tom Kennedy, Jim King, David Enos, Jonathan Pintoff Craig Pilo, Byron Brock

    Recorded in 2008, Reseda, California

    Rue De La Harpe Records 3
  3. Unsupervised

    Craig Pilo, Jim King, Ed Czach, Bill Esparza, Chris Smith, Rick Baptist, Mitch Forman, Angela Carole Brown, Brandon Brigham

    Rue De La Harpe Records
  4. Fused

    Pilo is co-leader with

    Rick Keller

    Saxsonic Records
  5. Guitar Jam

    Craig Pilo, Ken Rosser, Drew Zingg, Jim Henken, Steve Gregory, Andrew Synoweic

    Available free online at
  6. Drummer Boy

    Chris Smith, Bart Samolis, Mitch Forman, Ric Fierabracci, Robby Robinson, Rex Robinson

    Rue De La Harpe Records
; As bandmember or sideman

  1. Slow Club Quartet

    Expressionism

    Ed Czach, Angela Carole Brown, Craig Pilo, Don Kasper

    Rue de la Harpe Records
  2. Player

    Too Many Reasons

    Peter Beckett, Ronn Moss, Rob Math, Michael Hakes, Michael Parnell, J.C. Love , Steve Plunkett, Craig Pilo

    Frontiers Records FR CD 589

  3. Paul Kantner

    A Martian Christmas''

    United States of Distribution