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About Joe Hamm

Joseph "Joe" Hamm (b. January, 19 1986) is an American drummer, composer, songwriter, and producer.

Joe began playing piano at the age of six, growing up in a musical family of both performers and music lovers. 

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Throughout middle and high school, he formed bands, played shows anywhere possible - from house parties, community centers, high school events, coffee shops, and even a regional park swimming pool. His group of friends made dozens of DIY recordings.

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In 2005, Joe was accepted into the Christopher Newport University Department of Music and specialized in Jazz Studies & Performance. Joe Hamm earned his B.M. in  Jazz Studies at Christopher Newport University in 2010.

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Joe's career skyrocketed with the 2008 MTV Award nomination and appearance on the nationally televised show with Chasing Arrows at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City. That experience lead to a Bronx based management deal with Nicon Entertainment Group and subsequent independently released recordings. 

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Chasing Arrows was represented and shopped to a number of major record companies who had expressed interest in doing business with the band, and was engaged in negotiation. Chasing Arrows frequently met with record executives, performed label showcases, and was represented in active negotiation.  This coincided with the Great Recession, an historic economic event in the United States and the world over. Simultaneously, the music industry was experiencing a major business model transition that fostered in the new music business. Characteristic of this era was an independent artist-empowered landscape, with tools and resources increasingly becoming available that were previously exclusively managed and controlled by large record companies.

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During this record company negotiation, Joe was recruited by Rey Ramirez, who was co-founding an innovative music program with Anne Henry aimed at reaching students living in under-resourced communities. Soundscapes, the 4th United States program inspired by the internationally acclaimed El Sistema philosophy began in the fall of 2009, and grew into an internationally recognized leader in the movement. As a founding staff member, Joe managed, photographed, and filmed the program to build Soundscapes from the ground up. The beloved music program has made music accessible to thousands of students throughout Coastal Virginia, including providing a foundation for students whoo have received full music scholarships to universities, and release their own original music as professional musicians. 

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Soundscapes reach extended to collaborations with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall and Play USA, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and a national network of collaborative artists and arts administrators focused on the El Sistema paradigm. Joe's music composition work with Soundscapes student musicians resulted in the selection of the collective composition "See My Friends Again," and subsequent collaborations with the storied NYC music institution. The pandemic reflection song was premiered at Carnegie Hall's In Response virtual concert. 

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As a founding board member of El Sistema USAJoe has been a presenter and co-facilitator at El Sistema USA national symposiums, leading and co-leading Teaching Artist focused workshops in Philadelphia, Durham, Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, and New York City. Joe has collaborated with artists such as Eric Booth, Dan Trahey, fellow members of the El Sistema USA Board of Directors, Carnegie Hall, Los Angeles Philharmonic's Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, and many talented Teaching Artists throughout the United States.  Joe's service to the board from 2014-2020 culminated in being honored with an Extraordinary Service Award.

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In 2022, Joe worked as an Adjunct Professor and Artist in Residence at Christopher Newport University, teaching Jazz Combination and Applied Improvisation Drum Set courses in the Department of Music and Performing Arts.

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Joe most recently recorded with The Jonah Ross Band, releasing the 2022 EP recording "These Days." The EP received a VEER Music Awards nomination for Best EP in 2023.

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Bands Joe has performed with have opened for headlining artists to include Vertical Horizon, Carbon Leaf, The National Reserve, Butcher Brown, & Sponge. He has performed headlining shows with Chasing Arrows, The Jonah Ross Band and has shared the stage with world class artists such as Kurt Elling, Chris Botti, and Victor Wooten.

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Joe joined The Jacob Vanko Band in 2023 and formed his jazz band The Hamm Hawks, which has performed frequently in the Coastal Region of Virginia. He founded the Park Place Jazz Nights music series, which features regional jazz bands on a regular basis.

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