For 27 years, the drummer keeping time for Colombian superstar Shakira, currently circling the globe in her “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” tour, has been Frost School of Music graduate Brendan Buckley.
Buckley recently took some time out from playing stadiums to recount how studying at the Frost School in the 90s reshaped a kid from suburban New Jersey into the anchor for a Latin American musical icon.
“There are so many ways in which the Frost School of Music helped me with my career,” said Buckley, B.M. ’96.
Here, Buckley found supportive faculty who encouraged him to stretch himself and students from multiple countries who opened his mind to new genres—even as Miami became the booming center for a growing international Latin music industry.
“The school's location, centered in a hotbed of music from all corners of the world, was crucial for me,” he said.
In 1998, Buckley, who’d become a mainstay of the Miami music scene, was tapped to record Shakira’s U.S. debut album, “Donde Estan Los Ladrones,” at Gloria and Emilio Estefan’s Miami recording studios. The following year, he played her "MTV Unplugged" live concert recording in Miami, a major hit. He’s been with her ever since.
Growing up in Morris County, New Jersey, Buckley was steered toward the Frost School by school band directors with connections there. But the Miami conservatory quickly became his first choice.
"I was attracted to Frost’s great teacher-to-student ratio,” Buckley said. “I felt as though I could get more attention there instead of getting lost in the shuffle. I liked the diversity within the curriculum; Frost offered courses ranging from studio recording to African percussion ensemble. I found the drum faculty to be surprisingly modern. They weren’t simply training drummers and percussionists to play like they were from the 1940s. They prepared students to head out into the real world and work.
“It was also important to me to study at a school that was located within a vibrant music city. I didn’t want to disappear for 4 years and then try to integrate myself into a music scene. I wanted to learn within a music community,” he added.
He had a rocky—or windy—start. In August 1992, Buckley packed his drumset into his tiny Ford Escort and drove 21 hours to Miami. A few days later, Hurricane Andrew, one of the worst storms in U.S. history, tore through the city, forcing him to drive back to New Jersey for a few weeks.
Buckley, who started in the music education program, initially felt like “the worst drummer at Frost.” But the faculty encouraged him. Buckley particularly praised veteran associate professor Steve Rucker. “He was exceptionally kind and funny,” Buckley said. “His positive attitude toward drumming and learning was quite infectious.” Moving into the jazz studies program in his sophomore year, Buckley plunged into a wide array of classes, studying marimba, timpani, and other percussion instruments, as well as advanced theory, big band arranging, jazz piano, conducting, and composition.
His fellow students were just as mind-expanding. “My love for Latin music started with my classmates at Frost,” Buckley said. “Many of them were originally from Brazil, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and so on. I would rehearse and perform with them all week, and their cultures rubbed off on me. I became a sponge for music from all around the globe.”
Their influence helped Buckley go on to play with a multitude of top Latin acts, including Gloria Estefan, Natalia Lafourcade, Alejandro Sanz, Julio Iglesias, Alejandra Guzman, and many more.
Many of his Frost School classmates became friends and colleagues. Two of his Shakira bandmates, guitarist and musical director Tim Mitchell and keyboard player Albert Menendez, studied here. Ziggy Marley's guitarist Adam Zimmon, another Frost School alumnus, became Buckley’s bandmate, roommate, and best man at his wedding. “There is a network of UM alumni spread out all over the globe,” Buckley said. “I still see tons of old buddies like Jeff Babko (Jimmy Kimmel), Jason Sutter (Cher), Ed Toth (Doobie Brothers), Eric Gardner (Melissa Etheridge), Derek Frank (Gwen Stefani), and on and on. It’s a family.”
Both school and city were their proving ground. At the time, Miami was full of rock, jazz, and Latin music venues, and Latin music labels looking for talent. “There were a lot of recording studios pumping out albums,” Buckley said. “Many of the faculty members were working musicians themselves, so you could catch them playing gigs around town. I would often go to class from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., grab dinner and cram some homework, and then go out and gig from 8 p.m. to midnight. I was very hyped up and inspired to learn and improve.”
He met one of his closest musical collaborators, Elsten “Fulano” Torres, a Latin Grammy-winning songwriter, in the Foster building, where Torres, about to sign a record deal with BMG for his band Fulano de Tal, was looking for musicians.
Buckley also got crucial practice in keeping stars like Shakira happy by accompanying vocalists at the Frost School.
“Somehow I became the guy who played drums on every singer’s recital,” Buckley said. “That experience gave me a lot of real-world insight on how to make band members feel comfortable on stage and keep shows flowing smoothly. There is a lot of psychology involved with performing music, juggling people’s nerves, confusion, and self-doubt. Performing with my classmates, week after week, gave me a massive head start with the concept of reassuring artists, music directors, producers, and managers. It’s about playing with the aura of, ‘No problem—I’ve got your back.’”
Buckley moved from Miami to Los Angeles in 2004. The facility and confidence with multiple musical genres and skills that he began building at the Frost School have enabled him to work not only as a drummer but also as a producer, songwriter, and musical director. His non-Latin resume includes a dizzying array of artists, from alternative rock idol Morrissey, to Idina Menzel, Miley Cyrus, Dallas Austin, several Asian stars, and many more. He lives in L.A.’s bucolic Silver Lake neighborhood and spends his free time with his wife and their 12-year-old son, swimming, hiking, eating, and exploring.
He has some advice for Frost School students hoping to build a similarly rich musical life.
“Be curious and open-minded. Make friends, not enemies. Take advantage of every opportunity. Prepare, prepare, prepare. Treat every job (big or small) like a learning experience. Be yourself; there is no ‘right way’ to do something. Seek progress, not perfection. Do everything with a combination of persistence and passion.”
“I am very grateful for my time at the Frost School of Music,” Buckley said. “It offered me a place to grow and transition from a confused kid to a slightly-together young adult. If I were to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
