Randy Gloss is a percussionist whose background performing several modalities of hand drums, contemporary percussion, and drum set has led to his involvement in many innovative ensembles that fuse world music with new music and jazz. Most notable is Hands On’Semble, a percussion ensemble devoted to the art of hand drumming founded by renowned percussion vanguard John Bergamo in 1997 (with Randy Gloss, Andrew Grueschow, and Austin Wrinkle).



Hands On’Semble is winner of Drum! Magazine reader’s poll award for best percussion ensemble in 2003, 2002, and first runner up award in 2001.



Hands On’Semble has performed and lectured throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia at many of the world’s premier percussion and world music festivals, music schools and conservatories, and have collaborated with a wide array of highly esteemed percussionists including: Swapan Chaudhuri, Adam Rudolph, Poovalur Sriji, Houman Pourmehdi, Glen Velez, Brad Dutz, Jamey Haddad, Steve Shehan, Mark Nauseef, Pete Lockett, Ed Mann, Abbos Kosimov, Carlos Stasi and Guello.



Percussionists and critics worldwide have praised their recorded work as being some of the most important and interesting of its kind.



“John Bergamo, Austin Wrinkle, Randy Gloss, and Andrew Grueschow succeeded in presenting a CD clearly ranking among the most interesting percussion CD's of the last ten years.”(Michael Weil, Percussion Creativ Germany)



“Hands On'Semble always creates music with excellent energy and interesting colors and textures. The music is never so esoteric as to be elitist or incomprehensible, it always grooves. As great as the music is, it is an excellent resource for listeners to be exposed to and learn about percussion traditions from around the world.” (Percussive Notes)



In addition to Hands On’Semble, Randy Gloss has been involved in numerous other projects fusing world music with new music and jazz including: Adam Rudolph’s “Go: Organic

Orchestra” winner of L.A. Weekly Music Award for Outstanding World Music Artist 2005 and 2003 and his world percussion group Vashti; The Persian group Lian Ensemble L.A. Weekly Best World Music/ Recombinant Artist 2005, 2004 “Gifted World Music Group” (Don Heckman, L.A. Times); as well as collaborative performances with a broad spectrum of musicians including: Swapan Chaudhuri, Aashish Khan, Miroslav Tadic, Vladko Stefanovski, David Rosenboom, Chitravina Ravikiran, Jovino Santos Neto, Alfred Ladzekpo, Poovalur Sriji, Djivan Gasparyan, David Hykes, Latif Bolat, and Damian Draghichi.



Randy Gloss has contributed percussion for film soundtracks by composers Danny Elfman and Gary Chang, for television series’ such as Fear Factor, and has recorded music for the American Conservatory Theater and Southwest Chamber Music. Randy has also recorded several extensive percussion sample libraries for Apple (Garage Band), Ilio, and Native Instruments. Randy teaches at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), where he has been on the percussion and world music faculty since 1999.



Randy Gloss endorses Remo world percussion and drumheads, Paiste cymbals and gongs, Cooperman frame drums, and Mountain Rhythm djembes and congas.



Teachers have included: John Bergamo, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, Poovalur Sriji, Houman Pourmehdi, Guello, Carlos Stasi, Edson Gianesi, Alfred Ladzekpo, I Nyoman Wenten, Victor Rendon, Richard Hill, David Johnson, Daniel Kennedy, Michael Lipsey, Arthur Lipner, Warren Odze, Pete Abbott, Jim Mola, Buddy Ostapowitz, Wadada Leo Smith, Larry Koonse, Brian Torff, Rajeev Taranath.

• MFA Multi-Focus Percussion, California Institute of The Arts.

• B.M. Percussion Performance and Jazz Studies, University of Bridgeport