Darren Matano

Raised in the California Central Coast region, drummer Darren Matano came through the Aptos High School music program which was led by legendary educator Don Keller, who taught many of the leading jazz musicians on today’s scene. After graduating from Aptos High School, Matano went on to attend UC Berkeley, where he studied architecture and participated in the city’s vibrant jazz and experimental music environment, working with musicians that include pianists Vijay Iyer and Matthew Goodheart, and saxophonists D’Armous Boone and Aaron Stewart. He also worked with many of the founders of the West Coast Asian American music community, including saxophonist Francis Wong, bassist Mark Izu, and the late Glen Horiuchi.