Stephen R. Moretti

Steve has toured with RosemaryClooney, Toni Tennille of Captain & Tennille, Matt Catingub, Lorna Luft,Michael Feinstein, and has performed with many diverse artists such as MichaelMcDonald, Darlene Love, Karrin Allyson, Arturo Sandoval, to The Diamonds, TheCoasters and The Pointer Sisters. He was fortunate to have performed and recorded with legendary andbeloved Rosemary Clooney, touring frequently with her for six years as thedrummer for Big Kahuna & The Copa Cat Pack, led by Matt Catingub.

Steve can be heard on five CDreleases on the Concord Jazz label: two with Big Kahuna & The Copa Cat Pack(Hawaiian Swing and Shake Those HulaHips), three with Rosemary Clooney(Grammy® Nominated Sentimental Journey,Grammy® Nominated The Last Concert and BestOf The Concord Years). Televisionappearances include The NBC Today Show, Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Artbeat,The View, A & E Biography, and the Rosie O'Donnell Show as well as RosieO'Donnell's Christmas TV Special and CD. He taped a special for PBS, “Swing It” with Rosemary Clooney, Dee DeeBridgewater, and Lionel Hampton in Stuttgart, Germany.  He also taped a special for NBC, “AnEvening with Scott Hamilton and Friends” featuring Michael Feinstein andDarlene Love in Loveland, Colorado (available on DVD, Concord Records).

Released in October 2007 is one ofhis newest endeavors, Jazz Baby (OriginRecords), a collection of popular children’s songs set in a swinging big bandstyle with original arrangements by Doug Beavers Rovira.  Steve plays drums and is co-producer ofthis innovative concept featuring singers Matt Catingub and Linda Harmon.  He can also be heard on The KenDeRouchie Band's Live At Jimmy Mak's (KDBand)latest CD and Amelia’s A Long Lovely List Of Repairs (Slowdown Records), slated for release in March 2008. 

Steve has had the opportunity towork with such major jazz artists as Michael Brecker, Mike Stern, JoeHenderson, Pete Christleib, Bill Watrous, Bob Mintzer, Bobby Shew, ConradHerwig, John Clayton, Louie Bellson, and has formed his own jazz trio, theSteve Moretti Trio with Clay Giberson (piano) and Kevin Deitz (bass).  Not exclusively a jazz drummer, Steveis proficient in many styles of music including rock, pop, funk, Brazilian,Latin, and classical music, playing timpani and percussion in the RedlandsSymphony for three years and currently appearing on drum set and percussionwith symphonies and orchestras around the country. 

In 2003, Steve co-founded Bay AreaMusic, Inc., a summer chamber music workshop for young musicians in the TampaBay Area.  He has formed MorettimanMusic™ and partnered with Doug Beavers Rovira to form Disturbance Productions™,two companies geared to offer new, creative and artistic insight to theproduction of recorded music as well as making an active contribution to musiceducation by teaching innovative programs, masterclasses, and clinics toprospective students of music at the middle school, high school, and collegelevels.  He formed the Moretti Duowith his wife Amy Schwartz Moretti, (former concertmaster of the Oregon Symphonyand The Florida Orchestra, and now director of the Robert McDuffie Center ForStrings at Mercer University) exploring the unique possibilities of a violinand percussion ensemble.  He isalso a member of the Ken DeRouchie Band, one of Portland, Oregon's well-knownoriginal funk/blues bands.

His Bachelor of Music inPercussion Performance is from the University of Redlands and his Master ofArts in Music Performance is from California State University at Hayward.  Honors include Outstanding Musician Awardsat the International Association of Jazz Educators Conferences (IAJE), and topindividual awards at several jazz festivals including Best Overall RhythmSection Player at the Reno Jazz Festival. A two-time Grammy® nominee, Steve is endorsed by Paiste Cymbals,Aquarian Drum Heads, Audix Microphones, and Vic Firth Sticks.