Damien Schmitt
Damien Schmitt was born in Saint-Nazaire, France, on April 12, 1981. His father taught him drums and at age 4 Damien was already performing in his parents’ band. He acquired a wide musical knowledge by playing funk, hip-hop, metal rock, jazz and jazz-fusion with different groups, then formed his own band and made it to the finale at the prestigious "Printemps de Bourges" in France in 2000.
He played with famous artists such as Yannick Noah, Khaled, Zap Mama, replaced Paco Sery in Sixun and has toured and recorded with top French jazz-fusion musicians. He is also regularly invited to do drum clinics in the USA and Japan. Guy introduced him to Jean Luc Ponty in December 2007 and JLP was so impressed by his feeling, technique and creativity that he hired him immediately.
Damien Schmitt performed with Jean-Luc Ponty, Sixun, Yannick Noah, Khaled, Gage, Georges-Alain Jones, Emma Daumas, Zap Mama, Les Nubians, Dominique Di Piazza, Jean-Marie Ecay, Hadrien Feraud, Jannick Top, Eric Lelann, Bireli Lagrene, Christophe et Tony Raymond, Alain Caron and New Horizons.
