SAM RATHER…

drums like he breathes — which is to say, constantly.

For him, rhythm isn’t a learned skill. It’s a baseline state. “I don’t really remember a time I wasn’t playing,” he says. “I don’t remember choosing it. It just… was.”

At 13 a music teacher discovered he had perfect pitch. He was accepted into the Colburn School’s jazz program under the direction of Lee Secard. He regularly jams alongside faculty pros across the city. His teachers include master drummers like Jonathan Pinson, Joe Franco, TJ Troy, Jason Bruns - each helping shape his approach to time, touch, and tone.

He plays the Catalina Jazz Club, Sam First, Smalls Jazz Club, The Mint, Whisky a Go Go, the Federal bar and more. He leads a monthly residency at the valley’s Vitello’s Italian Restaurant. He organizes music fundraisers for his community.

Awards and accolades include the Stanford Jazz Institute, the Music Center Spotlight Creative Achievement Award and high fives from his faves: Justin Brown, Joe Farnsworth, Dana Carrey, Stewart Copeland and many, many more.

Where he goes next — college, conservatory, bandleader, sideman — remains to be seen.