For over 20 years on the New York jazz scene, I shared the stage with many great musicians whose creative spirit gave me inspiration, countless precious moments and life-long musical friendships.

One of those blossomed into a 17-year collaboration with my musical partner, alto saxophonist Karolina Strassmayer. Together, we lead the quartet KLARO! and perform our original music on stages across Europe.

Sitting a few feet from drummer Elvin Jones and his trio at the Village Vanguard in New York City when I was 15 years old is an experience I will never forget. The sheer energy lifted me straight to the clouds and sparked my dedication to jazz and drumming.

I want to embody that same spirit and love in everyting I do—performing with KLARO!, as a sideman and as a teacher.

Below you can find my bio in English and in German.

Drumming is my passion.

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bio in english

Drori Mondlak is one of the outstanding jazz drummers and bandleaders on today’s international jazz scene. His touch, subtlety and interactive approach have brought him critical acclaim and performing opportunities with many creative musicians in diverse musical settings.

He co-leads the critically acclaimed quartet KLARO! with saxophonist, Karolina Strassmayer.

In his eclectic work in New York City for over twenty years, Drori performed with many jazz luminaries such as Frank Foster, Joe Williams, Chris Potter, Ernestine Anderson, Don Friedman, Lew Tabackin, Warren Vache, Danny Mixon, John Hicks, Norman Simmons, Stanley Banks, Phil Markowitz, Bill Charlap, John Bunch, Cary DeNigris, Vic Juris, Dave Stryker, Lynn Seaton, Ron McClure, Steve LaSpina, Kenny Davern, Bucky Pizzarelli, Jarek Smietana and many more.

Since making his home in Cologne, Germany he has performed with artists such as Lee Konitz, Barbara Dennerlein, Lynne Ariale, David Friedman, Stefan Bauer, Chico Freeman, Tony Lakatos, Nicolas Simion, Lutz Häffner, Fritz Pauer, Greetje Kauffeld, Ferdinand Povel, John Goldsby, Rainer Böhm, Kalman Olah, Michael Heupel, Paul Heller, Heiner Wiberny, Scott Fields, Sunday Night Jazz Orchestra, Cologne Contemporary Jazz Orchestra and many others.

He has performed in many New York jazz clubs such as Birdland, The Blue Note, Sweet Basil, Visiones, Smalls, Jazz Gallery, Dizzy’s club at Lincoln Center and toured throughout the United States, Japan and Europe.

In the US and in Europe, he has performed at the following prestigious festivals and venues: JVC Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Bern Jazz Festival, Salzburger Jazzherbst, Jazzfest Vienna, Grazer Jazzsommer, Düsseldorf Jazzrally, Enschede Jazzfestival, Saarbrücker Jazzfestival, Bingen Jazz Festival, Audi Jazz Festival, Hildener Jazztage, Nürnberg International Sacred Music Festival, LOTOS Festival, Fürstenwalder Jazztage, Internationales Jazzfest Viersen, Blues ‘n Jazz Rallye Luxembourg, Most und Jazz, Jazz Maastricht, The Jazz Cruise, Orgel Open Air Festival Wuppertal, Sziget Festival, Philharmonie Essen, Philharmonie Köln, Lanxess Arena, Unterfahrt, Jazzinstitut Darmstad, Berlin University of the Arts, Theater Gütersloh, Altes Pfandhaus Köln, Stadtgarten Köln, The Loft Köln, Jazzschmiede, Lutherkirche Duisburg, Dortmund Domicil, Harmonie Bonn, Musiknacht Köln, the WDR in Köln, Detmolder Sommertheater, Jazzclub Oase Siegen, Bayerische Rundfunk, Peter Kowald Gesellschaft/Ort, Jazz Forum Mainz, Bielefelder Jazzclub, SWR Funkhaus, Bürgerhaus Backnang, Kurhaus Bad Hamm, Bayer Kultur, Frankfurt Jazzinitiative, Cube 521 Marnach, Marian’s Jazzroom Berne, Tangente Jazz Liechtenstein, Zoglau 3, Jazzpodium De Tor and Jazzforum AMSEC, Erlangen Musikinstitut, Pantheon Theater, Bonn, Jazz Grafing, Rheinforum Wesseling, Birdland Neuburg, Shea Center for the Performing Arts, Jazz Forum Arts, Jazzmobile, Midland/Odessa Jazz Society, U.N.T. Jazz Festival.

"Drori Mondlak is a drummer of extreme subtlety and melodic refinement that reminds me of Roy Haynes on his best moments.”

— Arnaldo DeSouteiro / Jazz Station

"The precision, speed and reserved strength of Mondlak’s drumming are reminiscent of Joe Morello in his early years."

— Doug Ramsey / Rifftides Arts Journal

professional affiliations

I am a Zildjian artist and I have always played a combination of their new cymbals and vintage Ks and As. Zildjian offers me the sound and feel I want from a cymbal.
Zildjian is my sound!

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I endorse Vater Percussion. I have been using Vater’s Maple Teardrop stick for years and I simply love the feel of these sticks.

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I’m also very honored to be featured on the world’s biggest online-hub for the global drumming community—drummerworld!

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Kurzbiographie auf Deutsch

Drori Mondlak ist einer der herausragenden Jazzschlagzeuger und Bandleader der heutigen internationalen Jazzszene. Sein Fingerspitzengefühl, seine Subtilität und seine interaktive Herangehensweise an die Musik haben ihm die Anerkennung der Kritiker sowie Auftrittsmöglichkeiten mit vielen kreativen Musikern eingebracht.

Er leitet gemeinsam mit der Saxophonistin Karolina Strassmayer das Quartett KLARO!.

In seiner mehr als zwanzigjährigen eklektischen Arbeit in New York City trat Drori mit vielen Jazz-Koryphäen wie Frank Foster, Joe Williams, Chris Potter, Ernestine Anderson, Don Friedman, Lew Tabackin, Warren Vache und Danny Mixon auf, John Hicks, Norman Simmons, Stanley Banks, Phil Markowitz, Bill Charlap, John Bunch, Cary DeNigris, Vic Juris, Dave Stryker, Lynn Seaton, Ron McClure, Steve LaSpina, Kenny Davern, Bucky Pizzarelli, Jarek Smietana und viele andere.

Seit er sich in Köln niedergelassen hat, ist er mit Künstlern wie Lee Konitz, Barbara Dennerlein, Lynne Ariale, David Friedman, Stefan Bauer, Chico Freeman, Tony Lakatos, Nicolas Simion, Lutz Häffner, Fritz Pauer, Greetje Kauffeld, Ferdinand Povel, John Goldsby, Rainer Böhm, Kalman Olah, Michael Heupel, Heiner Wiberny, Paul Heller, Scott Fields, Sunday Night Jazz Orchestra, Cologne Contemporary Jazz Orchestra und vielen anderen aufgetreten.

Er trat in vielen New Yorker Jazzclubs wie Birdland, The Blue Note, Sweet Basil, Visiones, Smalls, Jazz Gallery, Dizzy's Club am Lincoln Center auf und tourte durch die Vereinigten Staaten, Japan und Europa.

In den USA und in Europa trat er unter anderem bei renommierten internationalen Festivals auf: JVC Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Bern Jazz Festival, Salzburger Jazzherbst, Jazzfest Wien, Grazer Jazzsommer, Düsseldorf Jazzrally, Enschede Jazzfestival, Saarbrücker Jazzfestival, Bingen Jazz Festival, Audi Jazz Festival, Hildener Jazztage, Internationale Tage der Kirchenmusik Nürnberg, LOTOS Festival, Fürstenwalder Jazztage, Internationales Jazzfest Viersen, Blues 'n Jazz Rallye Luxemburg, Most und Jazz, Jazz Maastricht, The Jazz Cruise, Orgel Open Air Festival Wuppertal, Sziget Festival, Philharmonie Essen, Philharmonie Köln, Lanxess Arena, Unterfahrt, Jazzinstitut Darmstad, Universität der Künste Berlin, Theater Gütersloh, Altes Pfandhaus Köln, Stadtgarten Köln, The Loft Köln, Jazzschmiede, Lutherkirche Duisburg, Dortmund Domicil, Harmonie Bonn, Musiknacht Köln, WDR in Köln, Detmolder Sommertheater, Jazzclub Oase Siegen, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Peter Kowald Gesellschaft/Ort, Jazz Forum Mainz, Bielefelder Jazzclub, SWR Funkhaus, Bürgerhaus Backnang, Kurhaus Bad Hamm, Bayer Kultur, Frankfurter Jazzinitiative, Cube 521 Marnach, Marian's Jazzroom Bern, Tangente Jazz Liechtenstein, Zoglau 3, Jazzpodium De Tor und Jazzforum AMSEC, Erlangen Musikinstitut, Pantheon Theater, Bonn, Jazz Grafing, Rheinforum Wesseling, Birdland Neuburg, Shea Center for the Performing Arts, Jazz Forum Arts, Jazzmobile, Midland/Odessa Jazz Society, U. N.T. Jazz-Festival

"Mondlak ist ein sensibler und filigran swingender Jazz-Schlagzeuger, der seine stilistische Vielseitigkeit stets durchscheinen lässt. Sein Spiel ist auf großer Klarheit und Struktur bei gleichzeitiger Finesse aufgebaut".

— STICKS Magazin

“Jazzdrummer-extraordinaire Drori Mondlak beweist das zielsichere musikalische Gespür für das schlicht und ergreifend Richtige zur richtigen Zeit. Hier trifft routinierte Professionalität auf genüsslich ausgelebte Leidenschaft.”

— Drums & Percussion Magazin

“…. much remindful of the deeply melodic orientations of drummers Shelly Manne, Joe Morello or Max Roach, Mondlak is natural and imaginative in his high regard and ability to represent melodic lines and contours, and illuminates this flow freely with the listener."

— Dr. Herb Wong, IAJE Journal, Jazz Perspectives

" Mondlak is a deeply melodic drummer, but with the deceptive power and finessse of someone like Joe Morello. He is is the driver's seat, pushing the soloists but never being pushy. You get the sense that he 's arranging the improvisations from the drum throne."

— Andrew Lentz, DRUM!

"Mondlak's melodic approach to the drum set results in considerable tonal color. His polyphonic percussion not only lays the foundation for the grooves, but also adds a harmonic facet to their structures."

— Hrayr Attarian, JAZZIZ

photo gallery

with Barbara Dennerlein at Philharmonie Köln, 2019 (photo: P. Mänzer)

with Barbara Dennerlein at Philharmonie Köln, 2019 (photo: P. Mänzer)

with Karolina Strassmayer at Heisterbach (photo: Karl-Heinz Krauskopf)

with Karolina Strassmayer at Heisterbach (photo: Karl-Heinz Krauskopf)

with Ingmar Heller, Karolina Strassmayer and Stefan Bauer at Jazz Goes Föhr (photo: Freya Steinhagen)

with Ingmar Heller, Karolina Strassmayer and Stefan Bauer at Jazz Goes Föhr (photo: Freya Steinhagen)

with John Goldsby, Karolina Strassmayer and David Friedman in Kreuztal (photo: Michael Kunz)

with John Goldsby, Karolina Strassmayer and David Friedman in Kreuztal (photo: Michael Kunz)

with Lee Konitz at Altes Pfandhaus (photo: Gerhard Richter)

with Lee Konitz at Altes Pfandhaus (photo: Gerhard Richter)

with Steve LaSpina, Cary DeNigris, Karolina Strassmayer and James Farber at Avatar Studios, NYC

with Steve LaSpina, Cary DeNigris, Karolina Strassmayer and James Farber at Avatar Studios, NYC

with Billy Test, Karolina Strassmayer and Josh Ginsburg (photo: Zbigniew Lewandoswski)

with Billy Test, Karolina Strassmayer and Josh Ginsburg (photo: Zbigniew Lewandoswski)

with Thomas Stabenow at Jazzahead (photo: Kurt Rade)

with Thomas Stabenow at Jazzahead (photo: Kurt Rade)

with Sonny Fortune and Joris Teepe

with Sonny Fortune and Joris Teepe

with Josh Ginsburg, David Friedman and Karolina Strassmayer at Zig-Zag Club in Berlin (photo: Eric Pawlitzky)

with Josh Ginsburg, David Friedman and Karolina Strassmayer at Zig-Zag Club in Berlin (photo: Eric Pawlitzky)

Frank Foster Quartet with Danny Mixon and Ralph Hamperian at Sweet Basil, NYC

Frank Foster Quartet with Danny Mixon and Ralph Hamperian at Sweet Basil, NYC

with Chris Potter, Lynn Seaton and John Hart, NYC

with Chris Potter, Lynn Seaton and John Hart, NYC

with John Goldsby (photo: Karl Lehner)

with John Goldsby (photo: Karl Lehner)

with KLARO! at Cube 521 in Luxembourg (photo: Filip Veirman)

with KLARO! at Cube 521 in Luxembourg (photo: Filip Veirman)

with Barbara Dennerlein (photo: Karl-Heinz Krauskopf)

with Barbara Dennerlein (photo: Karl-Heinz Krauskopf)

with Ingmar Heller, Karolina Strassmayer and Cary DeNigris at Zoglau 3 (photo: Karl Lehner)

with Ingmar Heller, Karolina Strassmayer and Cary DeNigris at Zoglau 3 (photo: Karl Lehner)

with Adam Nussbaum

with Adam Nussbaum

Zildjian artist (photo: Karl-Heinz Krauskopf)

Zildjian artist (photo: Karl-Heinz Krauskopf)

Philharmonie Köln

Philharmonie Köln

Drori Mondlak (photo: Gerhard Richter)

Drori Mondlak (photo: Gerhard Richter)