Get TicketsBayview Sessions is a new live music series curated by bassist, producer, and artist Giulio Xavier Cetto, bringing together some of the Bay Area and international jazz community’s most exciting musicians for a series of intimate performances, collaborations, and musical explorations.
Hosted at the historic Ruth Williams Opera House, Presented by the “Art is Resistances” Artist in residence Program in Collaboration with La Fauna Music Productions the series celebrates jazz as a living art form—connecting improvisation, Black American music, Latin and Caribbean traditions, hip-hop, contemporary sounds, and the diverse musical traditions of the African Diaspora.
Each session features a different guest artist and ensemble, leading toward a special headline performance featuring Giulio Xavier Cetto and an all-star ensemble.
Main Featured Artist: Thomas Pridgen – Drums
IG: @thomaspridgen
VIDEOS:
1.- https://youtu.be/v-ObFw81sPc?si=J2VSN0-fhS29Ddm5
2.- https://youtu.be/lGZt1BkfNBI?si=51b1n4V7aZdX3klN
Featuring:
- Thomas Pridgen – Drums
- Michael Louis Aaberg – Keys / Multi-Instrumentalist
- Giulio Xavier Cetto – Bass
This session puts the spotlight on the powerful and dynamic drummer Thomas Pridgen, bringing his unique approach to rhythm, improvisation, and contemporary jazz. Joined by Michael Louis Aaberg and Giulio Xavier Cetto, the trio will explore the space between jazz, funk, soul, improvisation, and contemporary Black American music.
Thomas Pridgen is an internationally recognized American drummer whose explosive technique, musical versatility, and powerful improvisational voice have made him one of the most distinctive drummers of his generation.
Born and raised in the Bay Area, Pridgen began playing drums at a remarkably young age. He was performing in church as a child and, at just nine years old, won the Guitar Center Drum-Off. At ten, he became the youngest recipient of a Zildjian endorsement at the time. His early development was shaped by the Bay Area’s rich gospel, jazz, R&B, and improvisational music traditions.
At 15, Pridgen received a four-year scholarship to Berklee College of Music, becoming the youngest recipient of the scholarship in the school’s history at that time. He continued developing a career that moves fluidly between jazz, rock, gospel, funk, hip-hop, progressive music, and experimental improvisation.
Pridgen became internationally known through his work with The Mars Volta, joining the band in 2006 and making his live debut in 2007. He recorded on the band’s acclaimed albums The Bedlam in Goliath and Octahedron and toured internationally with the group.
Beyond The Mars Volta, Pridgen has built an expansive career as a recording and touring musician, collaborating with artists including Christian Scott, Eric Gales, Omar Rodríguez-López, dUg Pinnick, Keyshia Cole, Wicked Wisdom, Suicidal Tendencies, Thundercat, and many others. His work has crossed musical boundaries from contemporary jazz and gospel to progressive rock, funk, metal, and experimental music.
Pridgen is also a bandleader and creator, having developed projects including The Memorials and Pinnick Gales Pridgen, while continuing to work across recording, touring, education, and live performance. His career has taken him to stages and festivals throughout the United States and internationally
Known for his extraordinary speed, precision, power, and ability to turn rhythm into a lead voice, Thomas Pridgen approaches the drums as both an instrument of rhythm and a vehicle for composition and improvisation. His playing reflects a lifetime of absorbing gospel, jazz, hip-hop, funk, rock, and the broader traditions of Black American music.
Today, Pridgen continues to push the boundaries of contemporary drumming through performance, recording, collaboration, and his ongoing exploration of rhythm and sound.