James Gallagher is an American jazz drummer and educator from Northern California, currently living in Manhattan. He is a resident performer at the prestigious SFJazz Center.
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After attending Berklee College of Music in Boston on a scholarship, James returned to the West Coast, where he quickly began performing regularly around San Francisco with the top Jazz talent, including Marcus Shelby, Larry Vuckovich, Andrew Speight, Eddie Duran, and Dean Reilly. His performances have been featured at world-renowned Venues such as Kuumbwa, Yoshi’s, The Monterey Jazz Festival, Healdsburg Jazz Festival, Great American Music Hall, and War Memorial Opera House. He has also worked as a freelance touring and session drummer.
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After dividing his work schedule between San Francisco and NYC for years, he decided to relocate full-time to Manhattan. He has since performed at venues such as Smalls, Mezzrow, Fat Cat, the 75 club, The Django, the Roxy, Lambs Club, and others. He has worked professionally with Mike Ledonne, David Hazeltine, Jeb Patton, David Wong, Grant Stewart, Harry Allen, Paul Sikivie, and many others.