About

Drummer, percussionist, and educator Joe Peri is primarily known as a jazz drummer, but he has played with a diverse range of bands and performers all around the world since arriving in New York City in 2009.

Joe performs regularly in many of New York City’s top jazz clubs such as Smalls, Mezzrow, The Jazz Gallery, Cellar Dog, Dizzy’s, and Birdland to name a few.  Since graduating from the Manhattan School of Music in 2015, Joe has collaborated with numerous notable jazz artists like Ed Cherry, Peter Bernstein, Seamus Blake, Dave Kikoski, Aaron Goldberg, Jesse Van Ruller, Eric Alexander, and Pat Bianchi among many others. In 2018, Joe recorded with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga on their Grammy Award-winning album “Love For Sale” released in October of 2021. The album, a tribute to Cole Porter, was Bennett’s final studio recording. Joe also performs regularly as the percussionist in the band of fashion designer and personality Isaac Mizrahi. Currently, Joe performs and tours frequently with trumpeter/vocalist Benny Benack III. Joe has significant ties to Finland, having lived in Helsinki for the years 2020 and 2021. He is married to Finnish jazz bassist, Kaisa Mäensivu, and has played in her band "Kaisa's Machine" since 2021. They currently reside in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan.

As a passionate proponent of jazz education, Joe has maintained a highly sought-after private lesson studio in Manhattan and he is currently the private instructor of Jazz Drum Set at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music Pre-College Division.

A two-time graduate of the Manhattan School of Music (BM ’13 & MM ’15), Joe studied under the watchful eye of master drummer John Riley of the Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.

Joe’s first album as a leader, “Perillä”, was released February 24th, 2023 on the Turku, Finland-based label Flame Jazz Records.