Michael Bennett

Mike grew up on Mount Desert Island and is a Dick Ordway ‘disciple’. Mike went on to study at Berklee and has a Music Ed degree from University of Maine. He later studied classical percussion with Dr. Stuart Marrs, and jazz drumming with world renowned teachers Jim Chapin and Alan Dawson. Known as one of Maine’s premier versatile drummers, Mike played drums with the Patty Wicks Trio back in the early 90’s playing with Larry Coryell, Buddy DeFranco, Sheila Jordan, Clark Terry, and Anita O’Day, just to name a few. In the late 90’s Mike was the percussionist for a touring jam band called the Beatroots, which opened for Phish at The Great Went. In 1999 Mike made his 1st trip to Gambia to study West African music and culture. He has now made 12 trips and is now considered a foremost expert on Gambian percussion in the US. Mike has been the premiere drum/percussion teacher in Downeast Maine for nearly 30 years. In addition to keeping a busy performance schedule, he is adjunct faculty at COA teaching World Percussion, and at UMaine, where he teaches jazz drum set and jazz combos.