VINCE 'KAZI' MCCOY

Vince "Kazi" MCCoy was born and raised on the Caribbean Island of Antigua where he was exposed to a plethora of musical styles. He assumed the name Kaziwazi when he joined his first band in the mid eighties as a drummer and vocalist. As the drummer for "Wifodemus and the Wifers" he taught himself to play the drums being influenced by local players like Dalma "Boogie" George and Andy Jacobs. Kazi then joined Lee Williams' band "Unity" which was later to be called "Charisma". While playing with Lee he honed his skills playing many different genres including swing and top 40 tunes. One of the highlights of Kazi's musical career in Antigua was when he was called upon to play with his musical mentor the late Statchel Edwards in the "Targets" band. Statchel was the one who got him deeply involved in Jazz. Kazi left Antigua in 1995 to pursue a music degree in the US. He received a BA in Music with honors from Hunter College in 1999 and in 2002 he earned an MA in Music Education also at Hunter. Kazi has studied vibraphone and drums with Tom Mattioli of Brooklyn, NY and last studied with Cynthia "Cindy" Blackman. His performances include such diverse styles as Reggae, Calypso, Soca, R & B, Pop, and Jazz on both drums and vocals. He has performed with many popular Caribbean artists such as Brigadier Jerry, Lukie D, Causion, Junior Jazz, David Rudder, Black Stalin, Chalkdust, Denyse Plummer, King Obstinate, King Swallow, and King Short Shirt. Kazi has also performed with jazz guitarist Roland Prince and trumpeter Valery Ponomarev, and more recently with reggae legends The Meditations. Kazi performs with various original reggae artists, R & B groups and in regional musicals. He is a certified NYS music teacher and is also a private percussion teacher at Hunter College and jazz band assistant at Adelphi University.