José Cochez picked up the drumsticks at the age of 15 in his home country: Panama, Central America. He started out as a songwriter and performer in various Heavy Metal bands. With an eagerness to explore other areas of music, he began composing music on his computer and took up the violin at the age of 16 (switching later to viola). At the age of 18, he discovered the music of Frank Zappa, which vaulted him into several different musical directions.
At the age of 22, he moved to Miami, Florida to study music. A year and a half later, he moved to Tampa, Florida, reuniting with his hometown friend and musical mentor, Rodrigo Denis. Together, they enrolled in the Music Program at Hillsborough Community College, where José took two years of Classical Percussion and Jazz Drum Set with Kurt Grissom and performed with the Percussion Ensemble, the Jazz Band, the musical “Godspell,” as well as various other chamber groups. With his friend Rodrigo, he co-founded a jazz quartet that performed jazz standards as well as original compositions throughout the Tampa Bay Area.
In 2005, José enrolled at the University of South Florida School of Music. There, he had the privilege of studying drum set with jazz master Steve Davis for three years. José also enrolled in the composition program, winning the Award of Merit for Composition in his first year. He has been studying with renowned composers Paul Reller and Michael Timpson ever since.
At USF, he continued to move into other areas of music by enrolling in the Electronic Music Program at USF (SYCOM). He has composed many electronic pieces, including a piece for drum set, electric violin and tape that took him to a performance at the FEAST FEST, an electronic music festival launched by Florida International University in Miami. He also performed for the USF production of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
Mr. Cochez also loves teaching music. He specializes in drum set and teaches people of all ages. He has taught music in Panama (as a volunteer) on many occasions, and has also taught composition and electronic music (as a volunteer, to guests and at beginning classes) at USF. He has been teaching drum set at Private Music Schools in Tampa and as a Private Instructor for almost 5 years. He is currently collaborating on a drum set book with Dave Hamar, a friend and fellow drum instructor.
Jose continues to perform around West Florida, mainly as a jazz drummer. He has played with various jazz musicians, including Michael Royal, Richard Drexler, Jeremy Powell, Larue Nickelson, Tom Kersey, Ryan Pate, Michael Ross, Jake Pinto, Terri Plumeri, Mark Neuenschwander, Rodrigo Denis, Aaron Collins, Jim Burge, Robert Winslow. His associations with bands include The Mars Trio, Kelp, The Michael Royal Trio, Chrisitie Lenée and the Funkgrass Groove, and The Climax of Truth.