Sean Dixon is a composer, producer, drummer, bassist and educator based in New York City. He has performed, toured and/or recorded with Gotye’s Ondioline Orchestra, Maxwell, Aloe Blaac, Doyle Bramhall II, Amy Helm, Miyamoto Is Black Enough, Andy Akiho, Helga Davis, and many others. Venues include National Sawdust, The Park Avenue Armory, The Kennedy Center (DC), The Kimmel Center (Philadelphia), Mass MOCA (MA), Festival such as The Sydney Festival (Australia), MONA FOMA (Tasmania), River To River (NYC), Trans-Musicales (France). 2018 also brought on his first Off-Broadway experience as a collaborator and performer in Jomama Jones’ Blacklight presented at The Public Theatre and The Greenwich House Theatre.
His 1994 NYC arrival commenced with brief stints at the Manhattan School of Music and The New School before establishing and co-leading The Chesterfields with notable guitarist/vocalist and childhood friend Scott Sharrard. Through those seven years he simultaneously nurtured professional relationships with numerous local singer/songwriters and a host of jazz, blues, pop and R&B artists, establishing him as a diverse and colorful collaborator.
Sean joined the critically acclaimed band Zammuto in 2011 going on to record two albums, ‘Zammuto’ (2012), ‘Anchor’ (2014) and tour internationally through 2015. During this time he co-lead the band SLV recording an EP with Meshell N'degeocello 'Dig Deeper’ (2012) and producing two full length albums 'This Kind’ (2015) and 'Piece Of Mind’ (2018).
While crediting Prince, Elvin Jones and Bruce Lee as his primary musical influences, his art has also been significantly shaped by studies with Guinea’s master drummer, M’Bemba Bangoura, and by Bahia’s musician/capoeirista Mestre Kiki da Bahia and Grupo Ginga. Since 2003 he has also committed himself to music for children and young people through both performance and education as the percussion faculty member at The Lawrenceville School and The Pennington School (2003–2005) and as performer/teacher with Arts Connection, Appleseeds, Alex and the Kaleidoscope Band, Moona Luna and The Dirty Sock Funtime Band.
Sean’s credits connect variously with Fife and Drom, Phil Orr and More, Jason Kravits Off The Top, Kellylee Evans, John Forte, Elysian Fields, ElectricViva, Digg Deep, Barnaby Bright, The Jazz Mandolin Project, Famoro Dioubate, Mory Kante, Sekouba Bambino, Bajah and the Dry Eye Crew, Chubby Checker, Morris Nanton Trio, and many others.