Previously crowned as one of Prog Magazine’s Top 5 Drummers, London-born Jake Bradford-Sharp is an artist like no other in the field at the moment, particularly amongst the landscape of those his age.
Biography
Jake Bradford-Sharp was born in London in 1992. In 2000 at the age of 8, he picked up a set of drumsticks for the first time, proceeding to teach himself to play before beginning formal training 2 years later. He hasn’t looked back since.
Classic rock icons such as John Bonham, Ian Paice & Keith Moon triggered Jake’s initial inspiration, opening his eyes to his love of progressive rock. Its blend of rock, jazz & fusion inspired him to further develop his unique style of drumming and composing, taking beyond a realm that would seclude him to conform to a singular genre label.
Becoming fully infatuated with his love for the drums and keen to establish himself as an artist in his own right, Jake immersed himself in a very sophisticated style of drumming, followed by joining a band at the age of 16. Regular gigs, live performances & sessions bought his skill to the touring and recording circuit. It was this publicity that caught the attention of Prog Magazine, earning him the title as one of their Top 5 Drummers (2010).
Side Projects
When he’s not writing music for TV, independent filmmakers & music libraries, performing live or conducting session work for some of the worlds’ most prestigious recording studios, Jake is also a full time drum tutor at the Bang Drum School in Hackney, London where he can be found teaching newcomers how to play for themselves.
Playing Styles
Jake is a big fan of both rock music and jazz music, so veering towards progressive rock was a natural course.
His technical yet melodic playing can be heard on all of his recordings with his first professional band The Reasoning. He’s featured on all releases from ‘Adverse Camber’ onwards, his fierce, hard-hitting rock & thoughtful, jazzy, melodic drumming approach can be heard throughout. This style continued to grow and can be heard on Ghost Community’s debut album ‘Cycle Of Life’, where his style of playing was key in order to glue the track together – that is until you reach the heavy rock & metal sections, where the hard-hitting side of Jake’s playing is let loose. Blending the two has always been essential to his technique.
Over the years, Jake’s playing progressed into more of a ‘for the song’ approach, despite being hired for various progressive rock & hard rock projects.
His ‘for the song’ style of playing can be heard live with Blurred Vision: a band he was urged to audition for. In the words of band leader Sepp Osley, he was “hand-picked by legendary Rush producer Terry Brown”. Terry not only worked with Blurred Vision on their new album, but helped Neil Peart – largely regarded as the worlds’ best progressive rock drummer – with his drum parts throughout their career.
Jake’s style is still progressing and he is always learning, but he is ultimately ever growing his reputation and skills to make him a musician that will fit any given place, time, sound and genre. Being a very active drum tutor, he is well-versed in vast areas of drumming and music, meaning his skills aren’t only limited to playing, but enable him to teach multiple styles and parts, too.
Gear
Jake plays DW (Drum Workshop) drums and is currently playing his Collectors Edition in ‘Ebony Stain’ kit. He’s never been a fan of huge kits, especially playing a lot in and around London where carrying drums in and out of venues is a bit part of the gig.
His cymbals of choice are Sabian HHX, but he’s recently been experimenting with different sounds and models in the studio whilst recording. He’ll never leave home without his trusty HHX Stage Ride and Stage Hi-Hats, though!
Los Cabos Drumsticks are his drumstick of choice (Jake is lucky enough to be endorsed by the brand). He plays with the 5A Red Hickory ‘Intense’ and since discovering Los Cabos Drumsticks, has never thought of using another.
Pearl Eliminator pedals are his mainstay pedal. Having tried many others , he has always returned to his trusty Eliminators. He also uses all-pearl hardware and cymbal stands, minus the Drum Workshop drum clamps.
Jake briefly incorporated electronics into his setup and has always been intrigued by hybrid setups. If the opportunity arises, he’ll jump at the chance to add yet another string to his bow (or, another stick in his bag!)
Conclusion
Set to release his newest single on Friday 13th of September ahead of the release of his album ‘Remix The Orchestra’ (dropping on the 20th), keep your eyes peeled for Jake – he’s almost certainly unlike any artist you’ve come across before, dripping with potential and exciting upcoming releases coming from every angle.
