B i o g r a p h y
Luke is a graduate of the University of Toronto and has a Bachelor of Music in Performance with a focus on jazz and percussion. He is a composer/arranger/teacher currently based out of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Luke has strong technique and fundamentals in drumming. By the age of 14 he had risen to the Grade 1 level in Scottish pipe band drumming having been awarded the provincial drumming aggregate in Alberta for several grades along the way. He has competed at the World Pipe Band Championships on five occasions. Currently he is drumming with the City of Regina Pipe Band.
Luke has performed and recorded with the classic rock band "The Gutterdogs", he has been part of the rhythm section for the vocal jazz group "Solstice" performing at the SaskTel International Jazz Festival. In 2018 he formed the Luke Newman Quintet in Saskatoon and the Luke Newman Quartet in Toronto. In 2019 he performed with the "Jazz Scholars" at "The Basement" and is Currently leading the "Luke Newman Octet".
Throughout his time at the U of T Luke performed as part of the Noam Lemish, Phil Albert, Steve Wallace, Andrew Downing, Derek Gray and Jaqueline Teh ensembles at "The Rex" as well as the Dave Young Octet, which performed at the same venue in Toronto on several occasions. In 2017/18 and 2019/2020 he was the drummer for the U of T Vocal Jazz Ensemble. He was a drummer for the U of Sask Summer Jazz Big Band in 2017/2018, and most recently has become a regular drummer for the Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra as of 2021.
As a teacher he has been involved in teaching high school drum students playing in their jazz bands at Centennial, Walter Murray and Evan Hardy Collegiate. He also teaches private drum lessons at his home studio in Saskatoon SK.
Luke feels fortunate to have performed with people such as: James Zollar (trumpet), David Freeman (drums), Greg Boyer (trombone), Jens Lindemann (Trumpet), Dave Young (bass) and others. He has been mentored by the likes of Reid Maxwell, John Fisher, Gary Evjen, Andrew Downing, Terry Promane, Ernesto Cervini, Terry Clarke (Order of Canada), Dave Young (Order of Canada), and most recently Nick Fraser and Ethan Ardelli.