Omar Hakim

From playing in his father's band at age ten to selling out stadium shows with Madonna, Omar Hakim has done it all. His talent and unique style have made him a favorite among drummers and musicians worldwide.

A graduate of the New York School of Music and Art, Omar began his career recording with various pop and soul groups. His father, Hasan Hakim, had played trombone for Duke Ellington and Count Basie and that influence helped to warm the younger Hakim's ear up for the part he would play in one of the most famous jazz fusion acts ever, Weather Report. "I had a natural affinity for drums and rhythm very young," says Hakim. "I started playing drums at about age five, when I got a toy drum as a Christmas gift from an uncle. They strapped that thing around my neck and I immediately started playing one of those marching cadence kind of beats."

In 1982 he joined Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul in recording the critically acclaimed albums Procession, Domino Theory, This Is This, and Sporting Life with Weather Report. During his three-year stint with them, Omar also managed to land the drum chair with Sting for his first solo release Dream Of The Blue Turtles. With subsequent tours and recordings with artists such as David Sanborn, Dire Straits, Marcus Miller, Mariah Carey, Miles Davis, Chic, and David Bowie, he was known as a major force in both the jazz and pop worlds. "Sometimes, if people know you from rock, they think of you as a rock drummer and don't expect you to play anything else. Or, if they know you in jazz, then they typecast you as a jazz drummer," explains Hakim. "I was conscious of the fact that I didn't want people to know me as a rock drummer or a jazz drummer, but as a total musician. So I always made sure I let people know that I was about music."

In addition to being a first call session/touring drummer and clinician, Omar is a well-recognized producer/multi-instrumentalist and has recorded two solo releases under his name. The latest entitled The Groovesmith, is an eclectic mix of jazz and R&B, rhythm and funk and showcases his skills as a composer.

Anyone that has heard Omar Hakim perform will remember the power and dynamic tonality of his snare sound. The Omar Hakim Signature Series Snare Drum offer a unique voice that you don't find in most 13x5 snare drums. These offer a rare naturally finished six ply 100% African Mahogany shell, 2.3mm shell counter hoops, our SR-015 "Gladstone Style" Vertical Pull Throw-Off, and precision-fit Stainless Steel tension rods and solid brass receives for super precise tuning. The characteristic warmth and slightly darker and drier sound of the 100% natural Mahogany shell, combined with its unique 13"x5" size, produces the perfect blend of sonic power, projection, cutting attack and tonal color.