Tell us a bit about yourself.  How long have you been a musician?  How did you become inspired by music – was there a particular artist?  What is your main focus – e.g. drumming, singing, etc?  Do you have a favorite dancer to perform with?  Have you encountered any challenges getting into this business, if so what is your recommendation for aspiring musicians?

Frank Lazzaro- Doumbek:  I started playing drum set as a child and later got interested in world percussion, and I have been drumming for belly dancers since 1995.  There are many great dancers I have performed with, but my favorite has to be my lovely wife, Shalimar.  My recommendations for aspiring doumbek players is to take some lessons, practice as often as possible, listen to lots of middle-eastern music and go see live shows.

Tell us about your teaching style and experience.  How long have you been teaching?  What’s unique about your teaching style?  (You can tell us about where you teach in the next section.)  If you do not teach, you may skip this section.

I have been teaching doumbek since 1998, and also released an instructional CD, “Frank Lazzaro on Dumbek”.  My teaching style is similar to most dumbek instructors, using the “Dum-Tek-Ka” oral approach to teaching.  I supplement my lessons with typed handouts and my CDs. I teach both private and group lessons, and like to encourage dancers to participate, as my main objective is drummer-dancer communication.

Do you perform?  Tell us about your performances – what makes them unique?  What is your style?  Where have you performed?  How long have you been performing?  Do you have any fun performance stories?  Do you still get nervous when you have to perform?  Please limit your response to this box only.

My band is “Middle-Earth Ensemble”- we perform regularly around San Diego and have 2 CDs available.  One of our most lasting venues is Claire de Lune Coffee Lounge in San Diego, where I have been hosting live music bellydance Showcase since 1998.  Middle-Earth received the Golden Belly Award 2006 from Zaghareet Magazine and performs at all of the major Southern California festivals.  I also have a new performing group made up of my advanced doumbek students called “Cairo Beats”.  It is all Arabic percussion, and we have also played a few festivals this year.  There are many videos on YouTube, and Middle-Earth has a website: http://www.middleearthband.net

Where do you currently teach/perform?  Please provide relevant links to your classes and/or schedule or any other contact information you would like to provide (e.g. for future bookings).

I currently teach at Worldbeat Cultural Center, San Diego, Mondays 6-8pm. Instruction also includes drumming for bellydance class.  My website: http://www.frankdrums.com