Gifted Young Drummer on the Boardwalk - 2

Perhaps not many kids his age (18 going on 19) have heard of Art Blakey and Buddy Rich, but Dean Martin Pyzik admires the drumming of both, along with that of Tré Cool of Green Day...

Pyzik, who sets up on the Asbury Park boardwalk opposite the Stone Pony, also admires his former teacher at Big Beat in Neptune, Joe Nevolo, where Pyzik now teaches.

"I listen to a lot of different styles of music," Pyzik says. "Hip-hop, metal, punk, jazz, some Latin. I just like funky beats and grooves, something you can move to. The only problem I find is that today's music is too generic, everyone following a similar path. I'm not trying to be like anybody else. I'm trying to do my own thing."

Pyzik has been playing for six years, and his technique is advanced, his fluency on the drums impressive and infectious.

By the way, that name, Dean Martin Pyzik, your parents wouldn't happen to be Dean Martin fans, would they?

"No, my Dad's middle name is Martin."

Tags: boardwalk | Asbury Park | photography | drums | Pyzik, Dean Martin