A New Yorker all his life, Joe Abbatantuono began playing drums at the age of ten. For over 25 years, he has provided the drums and percussion for countless artists of all genres, including but not limited to: Daniel Breaker, Donny McCaslin, John Scofield, David Hillyard, Baba Israel, Morgan James, Chuck Leavell, Matt Zeiner, Pacha Massive, Tommy and CJ Ramone, Jerry Jemmott, Harvey S., Tamuz Nissim, Gene Pritsker & The Composers Concordance, Lew Soloff, Dave Douglas, Jessica Simpson, Adam Rogers, Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra, Costas Baltazanis, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Shayna Steele, and Brian Charette.
His current project, The Funk Unit, perfectly blends funk, soul, jazz, and hip hop; Joe Abba's band performs originals he has written, as well as classic funk, soul, and hip hop standards. His debut album “Check Hook” dropped on Composers Concordance Record in 2025, to much praise and fanfare. It is available on all digital platforms, as well as 7’ vinyl singles through his website. A new album is in the works for early 2026, focusing on his more acoustic jazz writing.
Joe also leads an international jazz group called The Gen X Quartet, with Nick Mancini-vibraphone, Trifon Dimitrov-bass, and Paul Tynan-Trumpet. This group performs and educates across the country, teaching students from grade school through college, about jazz music and making a living as an artist in the 21st century. Their debut album will be out this year.
He is also a member of the Afro Funk Project, Molly Tigre, who blends African Rhythms and melodies, with Jazz and Funk melodies. Members are from Guinea, Burkina Faso, and the US. Their debut album came out in 2019 and sophomore release is slated for late 2026.
TV/Movie/Concert Credits:
Either Side of Midnight, The Tonight Show, MTV Spring Break, Good Day New York, Nightline, CBS’ Sunday Morning, The Montreal Jazz Festival, JVC Jazz Festival, The Blue Note, Birdland, The Jazz Standard, Bowery Ballroom, Irving Plaza, the 55 Bar, Teatro Manzoni, CBGB's (R.I.P.)
Joe Abba is a composer, drummer, producer, author, percussionist, actor, and educator. He can be reached through www.joeabba.com and @joeabbadrums on social media!