dante "taz" roberson

When Dante picked  up his first drumstick, he knew drumming was his passion, and it didn't take long for those around him to realize it as well.  He began to tour at the young age of 16 with gospel musician Daryl Coley and continues to stay true to his gospel roots by playing at his local church whenever possible.  At the age of 19 Dante toured with Oakland-based group African Rain and Olatunji which helped expand his musical interests. Dante’s interest in jazz, fusion and world music was further developed while playing with Robert Stewart, Joe Lucity, Juan Escovito, Ricardo Scales and Lloyd Gregory.

Grammy-winning Dante has performed and/or recorded with a wide variety of artists, such as Najee, Carl “The Rev” Wheeler, Robert Stewart, Ivan Johnson, 98 Degrees, The Coup, The B.L.A.C.K Experience, Marcus Miller, Demetrius Tolefree, Chico DeBarge, El DeBarge, ICON, YoLa, Rolando Al-Anan, Regina Belle, Eric Benet, X-Executioners, Tony! Toni! Tone!, Tank, Dwayne Wiggins, Byron Cage, EnVogue, The Whispers, Cameo, Tony Saunders, Stephanie Mills, Skip Soder and many others. 

Dante credits Anthony King, Joel Smith and his high school jazz band teacher David Machoni for teaching him how to read and music theory. He wouldn’t be where he is without Will Kennedy and Dennis Chambers taking him under their wings, acting as mentors. A resident of the Bay Area, Dante enjoys playing a variety of styles and credits his versatility to the rich musical history of his hometown as well as the patience and skill of teachers and mentors.