“A prime mover in the current Brooklyn jazz scene” (Time Out-New York) and "one of New York’s great jazz drummers and composers.” (Capital New York), Rob Garcia continues to be a strong presence in the New York and international jazz scene as a sideman and bandleader. He has collaborated with such stellar artists as Joe Lovano, Sheila Jordan, Dave Liebman, Wynton Marsalis, Diana Krall, Myra Melford, Joseph Jarman, Kris Davis, Anat Cohen, Vince Giordano, Reggie Workman and Wycliffe Gordon. He has played on over 70 albums including Grammy winners.Rob has released 8 critically acclaimed albums as a bandleader and 5 as a co-leader which feature such artists as Joe Lovano, Noah Preminger, Kate McGarry, Dan Tepfer and Dave Kikoski. His albums have been on “top albums of the year” lists and have received praise from publications such as Downbeat, The New York Times, Jazz Times, and Time Out New York. Rob’s groups have performed at venues such as The Ottawa Jazz Festival, The Toronto Jazz Festival, The Kingston Jazz Festival, Birdland, Iridium, Smalls and Firehouse 12. His group has toured Europe, the northeast and west coast of the U.S. Rob has received grants from Meet The Composer, DCA and NYSCA. He is also a member of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop.Rob has also been a major force in artist-run jazz organizations. He is the founder and artistic director of Connection Works and a member of the Brooklyn Jazz Underground.For 25 years Rob has taught drum lessons to students of all ages/levels. He is on faculty for the NY Hot Jazz Camp, and has taught lessons and ensemble classes the Brooklyn Music Factory, Berkeley-Carroll School, NYC Public Schools, the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and British International School. Rob has delivered masterclasses in the U.S. and Europe, and has performed in over a 150 school assemblies organized by Lincoln Center, Arts Horizon and Brooklyn Arts Council. He has also done workshops at NYU, Brooklyn Conservatory and Jazz-A-Ma-Tazz.

Co-run a small artist-run jazz (music) based non-profit organization in Brooklyn, NY.http://www.connectionworks.org/Mission Statement:Connection Works is an artist-run non-profit organization that engages the Brooklyn community with world-class jazz performances and educational events. Our programs promote and facilitate new work by established and up-and-coming artists alike. We provide a forum that supports the astonishing number of brilliant artists in our borough. We at Connection Works believe in and encourage the practice of creativity as a means to nourish the mind, body, and spirit.