View source for Virgil Donati

{{Short description|Australian drummer, composer and producer (born 1958)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name              = Virgil Donati
| image             = Virgil Donati.jpg
| caption           = 
| background        = non_vocal_instrumentalist
| birth_name        = 
| birth_date        = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1958|10|22}}
| birth_place       = [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], Australia
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Instrumental rock]]|[[hard rock]]|[[pop rock]]|[[progressive metal]]|[[neoclassical metal]]|[[jazz fusion]]}}
| occupation        = Musician
| instrument        = [[Drum kit|Drums]], [[Keyboard instrument|keyboards]]
| years_active      = 1972–present
| label             = 
| current_member_of = [[Asia (band)|Asia]]
| past_member_of    = {{hlist|[[Planet X (band)|Planet X]]|[[Ring of Fire (band)|Ring of Fire]]|[[CAB (band)|CAB]]|[[The State (band)|The State]]|[[Southern Sons]]|[[Taste (Australian band)|Taste]]|[[Soul SirkUS]]|[[U.K. (band)|U.K.]]|[[Seven the Hardway]]}}
| website           = {{URL|virgildonati.com}}
}}

'''Virgil Donati''' (born 22 October 1958) is an Australian [[drummer]], composer and producer. He holds the drum sticks in the [[Traditional grip|traditional style]] and is also proficient at the [[Keyboard instrument|keyboard]]. Donati formed [[Planet X (band)|Planet X]] with [[Derek Sherinian]] and was the band's principal composer on all their albums. He also performed in Melbourne with [[Irwin Thomas|Jack Jones]] (Irwin Thomas) in a [[Van Halen]] tribute band known as Hans Valen before inviting Jones into Donati's own bands [[The State (band)|The State]] and [[Southern Sons]]. Donati is widely regarded as one of the most technically advanced drummers of all time.<ref name="AllAboutJazz">{{Cite web |date=2021-04-26 |title=Virgil Donati |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/virgil-donati |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=[[All About Jazz]]}}</ref>

==Early life and career==
Virgil Donati was born in [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] of [[Italian people|Italian]] descent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.drumlessons.com/drummers/virgil-donati/|title=Virgil Donati Biography|publisher=drumlessons.com|access-date=29 May 2011|archive-date=3 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003230635/http://www.drumlessons.com/drummers/virgil-donati/|url-status=dead}}</ref> He got his first drumset at age 2.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{Cite web |url=http://www.virgildonati.com/about_biography.php |title=Virgildonati.com |access-date=18 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517111258/http://virgildonati.com/about_biography.php |archive-date=17 May 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> He started playing soon after with his father's showband, and kept on doing these shows until he was around 6 years old. At age 6 he started taking piano lessons.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.isyourteacher.com/en/8__|title=Virgil Donati - isyourteacher|website=www.isyourteacher.com|language=en-fr|access-date=2020-01-21}}</ref> He joined his first major rock band and signed with his first major record label at the age of 15. The band was first called ''Cloud Nine'', but was later renamed [[Taste (Australian band)|Taste]], with whom he recorded 3 albums.<ref name=autogenerated1 /><ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040809222206/http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=710|url=http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=710|title=Encyclopedia entry for 'Taste'|publisher=Worldwide Home of Australasian Music and More Online|access-date=29 May 2011|archive-date=9 August 2004|url-status=dead}}</ref> Soon after at age 16, Donati left school focusing mainly on the drums, but also piano. At age 19 Donati travelled to the U.S. to study with [[Philly Joe Jones]], and at Dick Groves School in [[Los Angeles]]. He also took lessons from snare drum specialist Murray Spivack and Rob Carson.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Virgil_Donati.html|publisher=Drummerworld|title=Virgil Donati|access-date=29 May 2011}}</ref>

==Success and bands==
Donati returned to Australia at the age of 21. He then performed jazz with [[Allan Zavod]] and Brian Brown, and played with [[Peter Cupples]]' band.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/s/southernsons.html|title=Southern Sons|publisher=passagen.se|access-date=29 May 2011|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008180621/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/s/southernsons.html|archive-date=8 October 2012}}</ref> Before moving to Los Angeles, Donati furthered his success by performing with the likes of Tommy Emmanuel, Tina Arena, Jon Stevens and visiting international acts like Melissa Etheridge, Branford Marsalis, and Tribal Tech. Virgil also recorded and toured with his own bands Southern Sons, Loose Change and On The Virg. From the late 1990s and onwards Donati recorded and toured with acts like [[Derek Sherinian]] (with whom he formed the progressive fusion outfit [[Planet X (band)|Planet X]]), [[Steve Vai]], [[Allan Holdsworth]], [[Panzerballett]] with [[Norddeutscher Rundfunk#Musical organizations|NDR Bigband]],<ref>https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DK4xHwV4S/?mibextid=wwXIfr</ref> Michel Polnareff and [[Soul SirkUS]]. He played for [[Asia (band)|Asia]] in "The Heat of the Moment" tour in 2024.

===Influences===
With his father's choice of records, including [[Louie Bellson]] and [[Buddy Rich]] albums, Donati quickly became a fan of those great jazz drummers, trying to emulate their solos. The first rock drummer to make a big impact on him was [[Ian Paice]] of [[Deep Purple]]. Donati said, "I was blown away with his playing, his clarity. Back in the early '70s he seemed to be an articulate drummer with a lot of soul in his playing. I loved his power and strength and the way he articulated his phrasing. I loved his approach."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.drumlessons.com/drummers/virgil-donati/|title=» Virgil Donati Biography {{!}} Famous Drummers|language=en|access-date=2020-01-22|archive-date=3 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003230635/http://www.drumlessons.com/drummers/virgil-donati/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Other influences of his include [[John Bonham]], [[Carl Palmer]], [[Billy Cobham]], [[Narada Michael Walden]], [[Elvin Jones]], [[Vinnie Colaiuta]], [[Terry Bozzio]], [[Tony Williams (drummer)|Tony Williams]],  [[Steve Gadd]], and [[Philly Joe Jones]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Boerderij |first=Poppodium |date=2016-10-10 |title=Virgil Donati Band - Poppodium Boerderij |url=https://poppodiumboerderij.nl/en/programma/virgil-donati-band/ |access-date=2025-07-02 |website=poppodiumboerderij.nl |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Virgil Donati on Influence, Innovation, and Mastering the Craft |url=https://www.drumchannel.com/weekly-drops/25541/ |access-date=2025-07-02 |website=Drum Channel |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-06-06 |title=Virgil Donati Goes Full Prog With IceFish - DRUM! Magazine |url=https://drummagazine.com/virgil-donati-goes-full-prog-with-icefish/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105092715/https://drummagazine.com/virgil-donati-goes-full-prog-with-icefish/ |archive-date=2021-11-05 |access-date=2025-08-09 |work=DRUM! Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> In a ''[[Modern Drummer]]'' magazine article of June 1999, Donati prefers playing with traditional grip. He says there, "I grew up playing traditional grip and persevered with it even under the physical duress of rock bands. I decided that it's just how I wanted to play. Now it's very natural for me. Besides, I've surmounted all the problems of being able to play with enough power. Traditional grip does not limit me in any way. There are certain movements around the drumset that feel good with traditional, and believe it or not, there're certain things I'll play that feel better in my left hand than in my right. That said, I would not necessarily recommend traditional grip. Frankly, I think the disadvantages involved with traditional grip outweigh the advantages. It is a far more difficult grip to maintain and to develop power with. Any student starting out would be better off focusing on matched. But for some reason, maybe just because it isn't used as much anymore, traditional grip seems to be more hip."<ref>{{cite web | title=June 1999 - Volume 23 • Number 6 | url=https://www.moderndrummer.com/article/june-1999-volume-23-number-6/ }}</ref>

=== Reception ===
Virgil Donati is widely regarded as one of the most technically advanced drummers of all time.<ref name="AllAboutJazz"/> Bassist [[Bryan Beller]], after performing with Donati and [[Mike Keneally]], described him in a blog post with the following words: "''Imagine the technical accuracy of [[Mike Mangini]], the off-the-rails phrasing of [[Vinnie Colaiuta]], the beat-displacement of [[Dave Weckl]], and the rock sensibility of [[Tommy Aldridge]], and that's pretty much Virgil Donati—all of it, all at once, all the time. Talk about being taken along for a ride''".<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Life Of Bryan|url=https://www.bryanbeller.com/literature/lifeofbryan/bryan40.html|access-date=2021-06-15|website=www.bryanbeller.com}}</ref> [[Dream Theater]] drummer [[Mike Portnoy]] called Donati "super, super technical" and cited him as a drummer he "can't replicate", saying that "[he] does things that I physically can't do."<ref name="MusicRadar">{{Cite web |last=Bosso |first=Joe |date=2010-06-23 |title=Dream Theater's Mike Portnoy answers your questions |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/dream-theaters-mike-portnoy-answers-your-questions-256514 |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=[[MusicRadar]]}}</ref>

Donati's piano playing can be heard on his 2016 album 'The Dawn of Time' as well as in various online videos<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzMcWJzOewY |title=Piano Practice |date=2013-02-13 |last=Virgil Donati |access-date=2024-05-22 |via=YouTube}}</ref> where he's playing the like of [[Debussy]] and [[Ravel]].<ref>{{Citation|title=Virgil Donati| date=26 March 2009 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIM3vogg3R4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/fIM3vogg3R4 |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|language=en|access-date=2021-06-15}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Discography==
===Solo===
*''Stretch'' (1995, Musos Publications)
*''[[Just Add Water (Virgil Donati album)|Just Add Water]]'' (1997, Thunder Drum Records)
*''Serious Young Insects (On The Virg band)'' (1999, Vorcity Music)
*''Made in Australia (Gambale, Donati, Fierabracci)'' (2007, Wombat Records)
*''In This Life'' (2013, Self-released)
*''The Dawn of Time: Orchestral Works'' (2016, Self-released)
*''Ruination'' (2019, Self-released)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.crucibleofmusic.com/virgil-donatis-new-album-ruination-will-be-released-in-the-summer-of-2019/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027123905/https://www.crucibleofmusic.com/virgil-donatis-new-album-ruination-will-be-released-in-the-summer-of-2019/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=27 October 2019|title = Virgil Donati's new album 'Ruination' will be released in the Summer of 2019 &#124; Crucible of Music| date=June 2019 }}</ref>

=== With Planet X ===
*''[[Universe (Planet X album)|Universe]]'' (2000, InsideOut Music)
*''[[Live from Oz]]'' (2002, InsideOut Music)
*''[[MoonBabies (album)|MoonBabies]]'' (2002, InsideOut Music)
*''[[Quantum (album)|Quantum]]'' (2007, InsideOut Music)
*''Anthology'' (2023, self produced re-mastered collection of the 4 previous albums)

=== With Ring of Fire ===
*''The Oracle'' (2001, Avalon Records)
*''Burning Live Tokyo'' (2002, Frontiers, Marquee)
*''Dreamtower'' (2002, Frontiers)
*''Lapse of Reality'' (2004, King Records)

=== Jane Rutter  ===
Blo (re-released as Titania's Dream with Peter Bowman)

=== With Southern Sons ===
*''[[Southern Sons (album)|Southern Sons]]'' (1990, RCA)
*''[[Nothing But the Truth (Southern Sons album)|Nothing But the Truth]]'' (1992, RCA)
*''[[Zone (Southern Sons album)|Zone]]'' (1995, RCA)

=== With The State ===
*''Elementary '' (1989)

=== With Icefish ===
*''Human Hardware'' (2017)

===Other===
*[[Jon Stevens]] - ''[[Are U Satisfied]]'' (1993, Columbia Records)
*[[Derek Sherinian]] - ''[[Planet X (Derek Sherinian album)|Planet X]]'' (1999, Magna Carta)
*Ivan Grand Solberg, Golden State Mariachi Ministry - ''Lie Detector For Upgraded Strings And Orchestra'' (1999, Grand Fusion Science)
*[[Mark Boals]] - ''[[Ring of Fire (Mark Boals album)|Ring of Fire]]'' (2000, Frontiers)
*[[Steve Walsh (musician)|Steve Walsh]] - ''[[Glossolalia (album)|Glossolalia]]'' (2000, Magna Carta)
*[[Joel Hoekstra]] - Undefined (2000)
*[[Uncle Moe's Space Ranch]] - ''Uncle Moe's Space Ranch'' (2001, Tone Center)
*[[Mark Boals]] - ''Edge of the World'' (2002, Frontiers)
*[[Erik Norlander]] - ''Music Machine'' (2003, Think Tank Media)
*[[Freakhouse]] - ''Beautiful Misery'' (2003, Reality Entertainment)
*[[Joel Hoekstra]] - The Moon Is Falling (2003)
*[[Bunny Brunel|Bunny Brunel's L.A. Zoo]] - ''Revisited'' (2004, Mascot Records)
*[[Dave Weiner]] - ''[[Shove the Sun Aside]]'' (2005, Favored Nations)
*[[Sir Millard Mulch]] - ''[[How to Sell the F#@!ing Universe to Everybody Once and for All - Hemisphere III: Hermes]]'' (2005, Mimicry Records)
*[[Soul SirkUS]] - ''World Play'' (2005, Frontiers Records)
*[[Uncle Moe's Space Ranch]] - ''Moe's Town'' (2007, Tone Center)
*[[Alex Argento]] - '' EGO '' (2007, self-produced)
*[[Devil's Slingshot]] - ''Clinophobia'' (2007, Mascot Records)
*[[CAB (band)|CAB]] - ''[[Theatre de Marionnettes]]'' (2009, Brunel Music)
*[[Derek Sherinian]] - ''[[Molecular Heinosity]]'' (2009, InsideOut Music)
*[[Seven the Hardway]] - ''Seven the Hardway'' (2010, Mascot Records)
*[[Tony MacAlpine]] - ''[[Tony MacAlpine (album)|Tony MacAlpine]]'' (2011, FN Entertainment)
*[[Kiko Loureiro]] - Sounds of Innocence (2012, [[Victor Entertainment]])
*Daniel Piquê - [https://soundcloud.com/danielpiqueofficial/old-boy-feat-billy-sheehan OLDBOY (websingle)] (2013, Ultra Violence)
*[[Lalu (band)|Lalu]] - ''Atomic Ark'' (2013, Sensory Records)
*Synecron - Nathan Frost [2013, Nathan Frost]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.progmetalzone.com/2013/spotify-friday-review-93-nathan-frost-synecron/ |title=Spotify Friday Review #93: Nathan Frost - Synecron - Prog Metal Zone |access-date=12 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427150024/http://www.progmetalzone.com/2013/spotify-friday-review-93-nathan-frost-synecron/ |archive-date=27 April 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*Semantic Saturation - Solipsistic (2013, Self-released)
*[[Nili Brosh]] - ''[[A Matter of Perception]]'' (2014)
*AFTERSHOCKS - Michael Kocab, Glenn Proudfoot, Virgil Donati, Billy Sheehan (2014)
*Beyond Turbines - Roberto Badoglio, [[Steve Hunt]], Virgil Donati, Bjoessi Kluetsch (2015)
*[[Panzerballett]] - Planet Z (2020)
*[[Felipe Andreoli]] - Resonance (2021)
*[[Marco Sfogli]] - Welcome to Ooglyworld (2023)
*Riccardo Corso - Electric Vibe (2024)
*[[Panzerballett]] - Übercode Œuvre (2025)

==Videography==
*[https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Drummer-Festival-Virgil-Donati/dp/B00005AB92 Virgil Donati: Modern Drummer Festival 1997]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070325203849/http://www.virgildonati.com/merch/dvd_stockholm.php Virgil Donati: Live in Stockholm]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061205110408/http://www.virgildonati.com/merch/ Visit Virgil's Online Store]
*[http://www.isyourteacher.com/en/ Virgil's Educational Lessons on isYOURteacher] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827180248/http://www.isyourteacher.com/en/ |date=27 August 2016 }}
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jic4hjeyVY On The Virg: 'The Anatomy of Live']

==References==

{{reflist}}
{{Southern Sons}}
{{Planet X}}
{{CAB (band)}}
{{Derek Sherinian}}
{{Kiko Loureiro}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donati, Virgil}}
[[Category:1958 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Australian expatriates in the United States]]
[[Category:Australian heavy metal drummers]]
[[Category:Australian people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Australian rock drummers]]
[[Category:Australian session musicians]]
[[Category:Australian male drummers]]
[[Category:Musicians from Melbourne]]
[[Category:Soul SirkUS members]]
[[Category:Planet X (band) members]]
[[Category:CAB (band) members]]
[[Category:Jazz fusion drummers]]