Scott Kettner....

SCOTT KETTNER (Artistic Director/Founder The Nation Beat and Maracatu New York)
Drummer,Percussionist,Composer,Recording artist Scott Kettner is building a unique position for himsel f in the wor ld of Jazz and Contemporary World Music. A graduate of The New School University Jazz and Contemporary Music program, Kettner has studied intensively in Brazil and in 2004 became a member of one of the oldest existing traditional Maracatu groups from Recife, Brazil, Maracatu Nação
Estrela Brilhante (founded in 1906).
In 2003 and 2005 Scott was awarded an artist grant from The Brooklyn Arts Council for his project Maracatu New York and The Nation Beat and was just elected a 2006 Lat in Jazz Ambassador by the U.S. State Department. Scott is also a faculty member of The New School Universityʼs Jazz and Contemporary Music Program where he conducts the Brazilian Maracatu Percussion class.

Scottʼs passion for world music, particularly Brazilian music, recently led him to a very unique apprent iceship in Brazil. Upon graduating from The New School University
Jazz and Contemporary music program Scott lived in Brazil and studied with percussion
master Jorge Martins da Silva. It was here that Jorge introduced Scott to the rhythms and instruments from the northeastern region of Brazil, particularly Maracatu de Baque Virado. Upon concluding his apprenticeship in Brazil Scott founded and is the acting artistic director of Nation Beat Music, a company dedicated
mostly to the performance and knowledge of Northeastern Brazilian rhythms.
As a sideman, Kettner has worked and recorded with "Beat The Donkey" led by world
famous Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista, the great Klezmer trumpeter Frank London and the Klezmer Brass Allstars. He has also worked with the Latin jazz group "Annette Aguilarʼs String Beans", African Drum and Dance group of NYC "Magbana", Finnish folkloric group Kaiku, and Forro For All”.

Scott composed and recorded for the latest Cascabulho CD, a world famous Mangue Beat
group from Recife, Brazil, which was nominated for a 2005 Latin Grammy Award. Also, in 2005 Scott was awarded an artist grant by the Brazilian government to bring his group The Nation Beat to Recife, Brazil to record a CD together with the traditional Maracatu group Estrela Brilhante.

Awards
Present-Past
Latin Jazz Ambassador nominated by the US State Department and Lincoln Center. 2006
Latin American World Music Artist-in-Residence grant from the University of Florida. 2006
Artist-in-Residence, Syracuse University. 2006
Artist-in-Residence, “California Brasil Camp”. 2006
LP Percussion endorsement. 2006
Vic Firth Drum stick endorsement. 2006
$12,000 grant from the Brazilian government to collaborate and record the Nation Beat CD
with the traditional maracatu percussion group Estrela Brilhante. 2005
Artist Grant from The Brooklyn Arts Council. 2005
Artist-in-Residence, Syracuse University. 2005
Artist-in-Residence, Richmond University. 2005
Latin Grammy nomination for participation and composition on Cascabulhoʼs CD. 2004
Artist grant from The Brooklyn Arts Council. 2003
Jazz scholarship, The New School University. 1998-2001
Jazz scholarship, The New World School for The Arts. 1996-1998
Louis Armstrong Jazz award. 1995