Dennis Mackrel
Sat. August 23, 2025
8:00 PM
Robinson Pavilion at Anyela’s Vineyards
2433 W Lake Rd, Skaneateles, NY
Artist Sponsored by:
Doug Sutherland and Nancy Kramer
Dennis was born, April 3, 1962. A child prodigy, he began playing the drums when he was two; and became a professional musician at the age of ten when he performed in the Anchorage Community Theater’s production of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”.
Developing his craft in various playing situations, Dennis received numerous awards such as “Who’s Who in Music”, 1979; National Endowment for the Arts grant for composition in 1983; and in 1992; “Outstanding Alumni” from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
In 1981, at 19 years of age, Dennis moved to New York City and landed a gig as a drummer on Broadway. His Broadway credits include “The First” and “A Chorus Line” and in January of 1983, Dennis joined the Count Basie Orchestra on the personal recommendation of Mr. Williams.
Dennis traveled extensively and worked alongside Mr. Basie until his death in April 1984. He continued with the orchestra under the direction of interim leader Eric Dixon followed by Thad Jones.
Dennis stayed with the band, when Frank Foster took over as leader, until December of 1987. Dennis’s composition Bus Dust was included on the CD “Long Live The Chief” which was recorded during Mr. Foster’s tenure as leader.
After leaving the Orchestra, he returned to New York and would soon become the drummer of choice for a number of large ensembles including the American Jazz Orchestra, the Carla Bley Big Band, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Buck Clayton’s Swing Band, and the Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band
In 2010, he returned to the Count Basie Orchestra where he served as its leader and chief conductor until 2013 and in 2015, he was named chief conductor of the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw” in Amsterdam, Holland. In 2019, the orchestra was awarded the prestigious “Edison Award” for their double CD “Crossroads”.
Dennis toured extensively with the orchestra including performances in Europe, China, Russia, Indonesia and the United States until the global pandemic of 2020.
From 2002-2003, Dennis served as a guest professor at the Royal Conservatory in Aarhus, Denmark and from 2012-2013, he was the Visiting Artist in Jazz Studies at the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York
In addition to being a member of the jazz faculty at the Birch Creek Summer Music Academy in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin and the Skidmore Jazz Institute in Saratoga Springs, NY., He is currently the director of jazz studies and an associate chair of the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College in Flushing, NY.
“Mackrel’s drumming, especially well-displayed in his brushwork solos on ballads, was illuminated by his far-ranging experience and his skills as a composer and arranger”
LA Times
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