Negmeddin Shaheen Percussion, Vocals Born in 1886 in the Royal Palace of Alexandria, a direct descendant of Ramses II...currently living in San Francisco, Negmeddin Shaheen has been a drummer, percussionist, and vocalist for acclaimed Bay Area groups Gathering of Ancestors, and Funklogic. He currently plays with The Push and with cellist and electronica music artist Rena Jones. In addition to performing at various clinics and workshops around Northern California, Negmeddin has filled the drum chair for artists such as Ike Willis, Hafez Modirzadeh, Francis Wong and John-Carlos Perea, and has shared the stage with renowned world music masters Omar Sosa and Danongan Kalanduyan. "I've been so lucky to perform with some amazing musicians and individuals here in Cali," says Negmeddin, "the Bay Area is home to so many great artists." He has performed at the San Francisco Funk Festival, San Francisco World Music Festival, Asian American Jazz Festival, and the Malcolm X JazzArts Festival. With an education from S.F.S.U. in Jazz and World Music, he has been able to apply the traditional rhythms of Egypt to funk and jazz, working to create a style that is distinctly his own. Helped by training and inspiration from drumming great Eddie Marshall, he was able to delve into the rich tradition of jazz drumming, and continues to search for knowledge from musicians like Idris Muhammad, Billy Cobham, Zakir Husain, John Coltrane, royal Hartigan, Hamza El Din, Bismillah Khan, and Jimi Hendrix. Negmeddin's ability on drums is only complemented by his skills on tabla, riqq, and duff. Trained in his youth in classical voice, he gained experience singing in chamber music and jazz vocal ensembles in college, as well beginning to learn arabic singing techniques. Negmeddin's role in The Push is not only as the rhythmic backbone but also as a vocalist and a driving force in psychoanalytical band therapy sessions. "I love playing with these characters, man," he says, "the playing is top-notch all around, and there is never a dull moment with this crew." Negmeddin can often be found behind the drums at the Boom Boom Room on one of The Push's monthly Thursdays, smiling, sweating, singing, yelling, and having the time of his life. To email him please do so negmeddin@pushsf.com