Eric Binder Trio - Hard Bop (2020)

Dr. Eric Binder is a globally recognized drummer, educator, composer, and author, currently residing in Chicago, IL. Born and raised in New York, he has always been around music.

Binder earned his Doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Jazz Performance, where he served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. He received his Master’s from the University of The Arts in Philadelphia in Jazz Studies, Bachelor’s from the College of Saint Rose in Music Education, and Associate’s from SUNY Schenectady County Community College in Classical Music Performance.

Binder has performed around New York, Illinois, Philadelphia, and Florida. He has had the opportunity to perform with top level artists like Walter Smith III, Joel Frahm, Petros Klampanis, Christos Rafalides, Malcolm Cecil, Michael Davis, Larry Gray, Clint Holmes, and many others. Dr. Binder performs regularly with his own quartet and trio as well.

Prior to his graduate studies in Jazz, Binder was a busy classical percussionist, where he participated in wind ensemble, percussion ensemble, orchestral, and other chamber groups.

Binder has recorded both as a sideman and as a leader. Two of his records, including his last, were chosen as DownBeat Magazine Editor’s Picks. As a composer, Binder specializes in small group compositions but has written works for solo piano, voice, big band, and many others. In 2016, he was chosen as a finalist for the BMI Future Jazz Master’s composer competition. The Eric Binder Trio record Hard Bop is set to release July 2020 featuring Walter Smith III and Petros Klampanis.

Furthermore, Binder is a new author, recently publishing his first two books, “An Introduction to Bebop Drumming- A Concise Historical Overview and Practical Exercises,” and “10 Snare Drum Etudes for Improvisation- Rudimental Snare Drum Etudes Featuring Jazz Vocabulary.” He is currently working on other publications set to release early 2020. His book “10 Snare Drum Etudes for Improvisation” was voted #3 in the 2020 Modern Drummer Magazine Readers Poll.

Binder maintains an active involvement in studying the history and development of the modern drum set with a special focus on the correlation between the development of the equipment and the development of the drumming style/music.

In addition to his duties as Assistant Band Director at Robert Morris Univeristy, Dr.Binder serves on the faculty at Waubonsee Community College as the Jazz Director and at City Colleges of Chicago’s Harold Washington campus as a private lesson instructor. He gigs and records regularly around the country. Dr. Binder frequently gives clinics and master classes as well.

Binder proudly endorses Craviotto Snare Drums, Canopus Drum Sets, and Bosphorus Cymbals.