website death_date years_active notable_instruments article_title genre origin name occupation
official web site 11 october 2011 c. 1946 -- 2011 drum set freddie gruber
 jazz new york city freddie gruber musician and teacher
freddie gruber

freddie gruber -lrb- may 27 , 1927 -- october 11 , 2011 -rrb- was a jazz drummer and teacher to a number of professional drummers .
gruber grew up in the nascent new york city bebop scene .
although he started his performance career as a tap dancer , by the mid-1940s while still in his teens he had toured as a drummer with rudy vallée and played with harry gibson .
in 1949 gruber began playing with charlie parker among many others .
after fighting his own heroin addiction , gruber left new york city shortly after parker 's death in 1955 .
he settled in los angeles in 1957 after a stint in las vegas , where he continued working as a professional jazz drummer .
gruber began teaching drums in the mid-1960s at a los angeles music store owned by vibraphonist terry gibbs .
gruber 's student list includes vinnie colaiuta , neil peart , steve smith , dave weckl and bruce becker .
gruber was an instructor and mentor at the drum channel studio .
on january 15 , 2011 , gruber was honored at the namm show in anaheim , california with a lifetime achievement award for educational excellence throughout his career .
the large framed award featured a classic photo of legendary jazz drummers : buddy rich , jo jones -lrb- known as papa jo jones in his later years -rrb- , and gruber himself .
under the photo was a plaque , and a cymbal that was signed by armand zildjian 's children .
gruber 's former drum student , neil peart of rush , lauded gruber in his literary and tutorial work .
peart authored a biographical obituary tribute which was posted to the hudson music website and to gruber 's own web site .
