Chris Ortega
A master of the beat By Cole Fenger
ďŹ rst met Chris Ortega when I was looking for a new drum teacher in 5th grade. I was told by a friend that he was the best drum teacher in town so I had my mom give him a call. He arrived at my house and I instantly noticed his friendly and humble demeanor. As I heard h i m d r u m for the ďŹ rst time I knew that he was much better than any drum teacher that I had previously had. He played with a sense of rhythm and precision that I had never seen from any drummer. As I got to know him I 2
learned of his past as a drummer. Almost making it as a rockstar but having the rug pulled out from underneath him right before his big break, he then decided that he wanted to use his skills not as a drum-
cal bay area drum teacher who does both private lessons and teaches the drumline at Los Altos High School. He uses his skills as a drummer to take kids of all ages and all skill levels and turn them into accelent musicians and if possible, help them become a better person. He also plays in a number of local bands such as R o c k the Heat and is an honormer in a famous band or ary member of the still as a studio musician but existent Gypsy Tribe. as a drum teacher, using his skills to teach his students not only to be accelent musicians but also better people as a whole. Chris Ortega is a lo-
My Father once said that Chris was like the Bside of a record. The songs on the A-side are heard and loved by everyone, but the songs on the bside are not always heard, but for some people those rarely heard songs have a deeper meaning to people than the songs on the aside. Chris is like this because, If he were a rockstar, millions of people would know his name, on the surface people would seem to be influenced by him, but scratch below the surface and you realize that if he disappeared tomorrow, no one would bat an eye. On the other hand, what Chris does as a drum teacher touches people on a much deeper level. He becomes a true role model for his students many of them consider him to be a bit of a second father. So where did he get his start? Chris began drumming at the age of 5, “I saw the ed solivan show and I saw Ringo Starr play and I knew that that was what I wanted to do.” (Ortega) He be-
gan to show tremendous skill from a young age and started playing in his first real band at the age of nine. Chris m o v e d from band to band throughout the 70s and 80s and then, in the late 90s Chris was in a band named Gypsy Tribe. Gypsy Tribe was a Flamenco Jazz band that Chris had played for for a little while when Michael Gordo arrived at one show to fill in on bass. “We played the gig and he just fit like a glove” Says Chris. After a terrific show with him on bass the band decided to take him on as their new bass player. Not only was he a terrific bass player but he was also a composer. The band decided to learn a whole album’s worth of his songs. “So we rehearsed all of his music and got ready to record and I was setting up my drums in the studio and we got a call from his mom, something hap-
pened to mikey. He lost his eyesight, he went 100% blind.” (Ortega) Michael Gord o h a d been suffering from worsening diabetes his whole life and it had caused irreversible damage to his eyes. “So we went back into the studio and and we relearned all of his music for him. We turned the lights off and I learned how to play in the dark. I was able to hit everything that I aimed for without missing. We ended up recording and nailing a cd. The cd ended up being called “ I love being with you”.(Ortega) Shortly after the release of “I Love Being with You” Michael Gordo passed away due to his diabetes and Gypsy Tribe broke up shortly after that.
3
It was then that he entered a sponsorship deal with Yamaha Drums, one of the world leaders in professional percussion equipment, promoting their lower-end line of drums to young drummers around California. Chris started teaching when a friend of his from a local music store asked if he could fill in on some lessons. Chris agreed and after a few successful lessons he decided to go off on his own and began teaching privately. The thing that set Chris apart from other drum instructors is the fact that he does house calls rather than having the students come to his studio, he credits this for getting him started as a drum instructor. In 2000 Chris began working at Los Altos High School as the Pit and Battery instructor for their marching band. He loves teaching the band and he still teaches there today. 4
At one Saturday band practice before a show the pit and drumline was lined up in front of their instruments waiting for Chris to arrive. He walks in the band room and stands at his podium. After a few seconds of silence he says “One, Two, Three, Four!” and the band begins playing their show. After a few measures of music he stops the band and addresses one of the marimba players, asks him to correct what he did wrong and then goes into another run through of the song. Throughout the whole practice, Chris seemed much more serious than I had previously known him to be. It was very different and slightly offsetting but I remembered that they have a lot of music to learn in not a lot of time. At the end of a successful run through before lunch, Chris makes sure to go around and fist-
bump every musician, telling them that they did a good job. During lunch he is all smiles, laughing and joking with his students and making sure to buy lunch for those that didn’t bring one. Chris makes sure that he comes off as a friend to each of his students. “I want them to know that they shouldn’t be scared of me.” Says Chris, “Most students end up being scared of the band staff but I just think that’s counter productive” “He’s like a second father to me” says Dwayne Scott, one of his marching band seniors. Chris makes an effort to find a way to help everyone he meets. He teaches them that anyone can learn how to drum, and anyone can be a better person. “During band practices he can get serious but that is just because he knows that there is a lot to do in a short amount of time.”
“My dream a drum teacher is to see my students make it big. And to really take drumming on seriously. Becoming a teacher, or playing in a big band and touring all over the world, seeing their name in lights, or turning on tv and seeing a concert and going “woah, that’s my student!” That is my ultimate dream is to see a student take over where I leave off.” Says Chris. His goal in life is to help others achieve their dreams and if that happens, he has in turn achieved his. When asked if he wants to continue teaching he replied.“I am going to do this until the day I die absolutely. This is my passion, this is why i’m on this planet.”
a e k i l “He’s
fat d n seco
.” e m o her t
tt o c S e n y a Dw
5
Works Cited Thanks to Chris Ortega, Rock the Heat and The Los Altos High School Marching Band. Ortega, Chris. “My18drums.” My18drums. Yahama Drums, 15 Apr. 2010. Web. 6 Sept. 2015. Ortega,Chris. Personal Interview. 1 Oct. 2015. Pettitt, Michelle. Personal Interivew. 20 Sept. 2015. RockTheHeatTheBand. “”Rock the Heat”” “Rock the Heat” - Home of the Best Party Band in the Bay Area. RockTheHeatBand.LLC, 5 July 2012. Web. 06 Oct. 2015. Scott,Dwayne. Personal Interview. 3 Oct. 2015.
6