Hi – I'm Patrick.

I'm a drummer from the UK, currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area. My main specialty and passion is contemporary jazz, but I am also well-versed in rock, pop, R&B, orchestral and other styles.

Bio

I began learning drums at the age of 8 and developed a strong interest in jazz as a teenager. I grew up in north-east Scotland, which provided a rich musical training ground across rock, jazz, and celtic music.

After being awarded a scholarship at 18, I attended Boston’s Berklee College of Music from 2006–2009, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Professional Music, with a split focus on performance and composition. During this time, I received multiple performance awards and the highest instrumental ratings awarded by the college.

I then pursued graduate studies at Boston’s New England Conservatory, graduating in 2011 with a Master’s degree in Jazz Performance with Academic Honours. While in Boston, I studied privately with Jon Hazilla, Terri-Lyne Carrington, Miguel Zenón, George Garzone, and Jerry Bergonzi, and performed with Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, Gunther Schuller, Bob Brookmeyer, Don Byron, Tiger Okoshi, Jason Palmer, and others.

I was based in NYC from 2011–2014, and London from 2014–2025. I have performed at the Panama Jazz Festival (Panama), Nancy Jazz Pulsations (France), London Jazz Festival (UK), Boston Jazz Festival (USA), Edinburgh International Jazz & Blues Festival (UK), and Festival de Musique Vevey (Switzerland).

These days, I pay the bills as a software engineer.

Press quotes

"A drummer and composer of outstanding promise." — Jazzwise

"Drummer Kunka provided a continually varying rhythmic thunder." — JazzUK

“An aggression rarely seen in British Jazz ... Kunka leads in a blazing way.” — Metro

"A dynamic drummer of the Tony Williams type." — London Evening Standard