Kate Gentile is an American drummer, composer, and record label executive. A 2024 Guggenheim Fellow, her albums include Mannequins (2017), Biomei.i, and Find Letter X (both 2023). She also collaborates with pianist Matt Mitchell, with whom she co-founded Obliquity Records.
Biography Gentile came from Buffalo, New York, where she recalls that during high school, she did not have a lot of exposure to music because she "was busy cramming for my music school auditions". She obtained her degree in jazz performance and music education from the Eastman School of Music. After moving to Toronto after her marriage to a Canadian, she had to work with rock and metal bands because she could not legally work in the country, before moving to Brooklyn.
Her music career began in 2011. In 2017, she released her debut album Mannequins; it was ranked #50 in the 2017 National Public Radio Music Jazz Critics Poll. In 2023, she released another album, Biomei.i. Will Layman of PopMatters characterized Gentile as "a power drummer, though she is always thinking orchestrally, arguably a modern Elvin Jones or Tony Williams".
She and pianist-composer Matt Michael form the electroacoustic duo Gloatmeal and co-lead the band Snark Horse; in 2021, the two released an eponymous album. She also performed as the drummer and percussionist on Mitchell's 2019 album Phalanx Ambassadors. Layman called their partnership is "central to the chemistry" of their duo. She has also worked as cover artist for Mitchell's work, as well as her own. She and Mitchell started a new label called Obliquity Records.
She also leads the band Find Letter X, and in 2023 they released an album of the same name. She is also leader of jazz/noise rock trio Secret People.
In 2024, she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Discography Title Year Details Ref. Mannequins (as drummer, vibraphonist, and composer) 2017 Release: June 16, 2017 Label: Skirl Records Snark Horse (with Matt Michael) 2021 Release: July 31, 2021 Label: Pi Recordings Biomei.i (with International Contemporary Ensemble; as drummer, percussionist, and composer) 2023 Release: May 19, 2023 Label: Obliquity Records Find Letter X 2023 Release: October 13, 2023 Label: Pi Recordings
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