Matthew McGraw

Matthew McGraw started drumming at 8 years old under the guidance of local Philadelphia drummer Fred Khan and the music teachers of the Haverford Township School District. Growing up in Philadelphia, introduced Matthew to an array of different sounds: from jazz, rock, gospel, classical, and show tune music. Matthew attended Leeds College of music in England where he obtained a BA in Music with a concentration in Jazz Drum Performance with Dave Walsh. Matthew is a disciple of Sitar and Tabla player Shafaat Khan, son of the great Imrat Khan and student of the great Ibrahim Khan of the Rampur Gharana. Playing with Shafaat Khan has taken Matthew around America, from Ball State University in Indiana, to Spivy Hall in Atlanta, Georgia. Matthew has dedicatedly spread Indian Classical music across the United States. Matthew is also a disciple of Tabla player Shahbaz Hussain, Tabla player Sanju Sahai, head of the Benares Gharana, Juan “Cuco” Castellanos, the great Conga player from Matanzas, Cuba, Lee Smith, the great jazz bassist and Father of famed jazz musician Christian McBride, Scott Lee, the bass player for jazz musician Chet Baker, and Prapancham Surendran, mridangam player and son of Prapancham Ravindran. Playing different instruments and styles from around the world has given Matthew a broader world view and appreciation for all cultures and has increased his love for music.