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Brian Andres

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio into a family of professional musicians it is no surprise that Brian found himself drawn to the origin of all music: Rhythm. His father is a woodwinds specialist and his mother a vocalist and pianist. The house was filled with the sounds of his father’s constant practicing and his mother’s piano and voice students. After nearly being put up for adoption due to his constant banging on inanimate objects, his parents decided to embrace their obstreperous sons undeniable talent by purchasing him a drum set and themselves earplugs. While living in the Midwest, Brian’s diverse range of styles led him to performances with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members Little Anthony and the Imperials, as well as Tony Award winner and Broadway star, Faith Prince. Brian has also shared the stage with such artists as Leroy "Sugar" Bonner from The Ohio Players, blues greats Sam Myers and Lonnie Mack and television and movie star, Woody Harrelson. Brian's growing interest in Latin music and culture brought him to the San Francisco Bay Area in early 1999. He quickly began working with numerous local Salsa, Afro-Cuban, Latin funk, Latin jazz, and Tex-Mex groups. In 2000, Brian was asked to join the band of San Francisco Bay Area Icon, Dr Loco (Dr Jose Cuellar). Brian continues to perform with him in both The Rockin' Jalapeno Band and Los Tiburones Del Norte. Through working with Dr. Loco, Brian was asked to record the original music soundtrack for the critically acclaimed Robert M. Young film, Alambrista: Directors Cut, along with Grammy nominated producer and musician, Greg Landau. Brian also performed with "The Father of Chicano Music" and National Medal of Arts recipient, Lalo Guerrero, prior to his passing. While continuing to reside in the Bay Area, Brian has performed with notable San Francisco musicians such as multi instrumentalist John Calloway (John Santos, Wayne Wallace, Omar Sosa) guitarist Ray Obiedo, Grammy Award Winning Pacific Mambo Orchestra, Independent Music Award winning artist and Ivory Coast native Fely Tchaco, reggae singer Black Nature (Sierra Leone Refugee Allstars) percussionist band leader Danilo Paiz (Ruben Blades) He has also performed with East Coast Bachata artists Bautista and Frankely on their West Coast performances. In addition to his performance schedule, Brian maintains a private practice in drum set and percussion instruction. He also conducts clinics and lectures on the history and culture of the drum set and percussion in Afro-Cuban music, His lesson "Clave in Odd Meters" was featured as a Master Class article in the November 2014 issue of Downbeat Magazine.

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9
Album Review

Brian Andres: Mayan Suite

Read "Mayan Suite" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki


Drummer and percussionist Brian Andres may have been born in Cincinnati but his musical homeland is Latin America. A drummer by age ten, Anders studied at the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and eventually followed his Latin musical muse from local gigs with Cincinnati Slim & The Headhunters to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he founded and fronted the Afro-Latin Jazz Cartel. Mayan Suite extends Andres' lifelong love affair with the music of Latin America while presenting ...

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From the Inside Out

Love Letters & Postcards from the Jazz Heart

Read "Love Letters & Postcards from the Jazz Heart" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki


Brian Andres Trio Latino Mayan Suite Bacalao Records 2020 Drummer and percussionist Brian Andres may have been born in Cincinnati but his musical homeland is Latin America. A drummer by age ten, Anders studied at the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and eventually followed his Latin musical muse from local gigs with Cincinnati Slim & The Headhunters to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he founded and fronted the Afro-Latin ...

8
Album Review

Brian Andres & the Afro-Cuban Jazz Cartel: This Could Be That

Read "This Could Be That" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki


This Could Be That celebrates the first decade of Brian Andres & his Afro-Cuban Jazz Cartel, which came together in 2007 in and around the jny: San Francisco Bay Area's Latin jazz hothouse. Music is sort of the Andres' family business: Brian's father Mike, a professional woodwind player from the jny: Cincinnati area (who appears on this set), introduced his son to the recording studio while Brian was still a child, while Brian's mother sang for chamber and liturgical music ...

2
Album Review

Brian Andres and the Afro-Cuban Jazz Cartel: San Francisco

Read "San Francisco" reviewed by Edward Blanco


The San Francisco Bay Area is known for many things one of which is, as a hot bed of Latin Jazz music that captured the interest of percussionist Brian Andres upon relocating there in 1999. Now a veteran of the genre and band leader of the Afro-Cuban Jazz Cartel, Andres and the group tip their hat to the Area's Latin cultural ambiance with a tribute album simply titled San Francisco. The band's second album and follow up to their glowing ...

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3

Recording

Drummer Brian Andres Debuts New Trio Latino Project On "Mayan Suite," Set For May 15 Release By Bacalao Records

Drummer Brian Andres Debuts New Trio Latino Project On "Mayan Suite," Set For May 15 Release By Bacalao Records

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity

Drummer Brian Andres unleashes an electrifying new project with the May 15 release of Mayan Suite, the inaugural recording of his Trio Latino, on Bacalao Records. Though it finds Andres stepping back from his longtime leadership of the eight-piece Afro-Cuban Jazz Cartel, the new trio (featuring pianist Christian Tumalan and bassist Aaron Germain) shows itself to be every bit as musically rich as the larger ensemble. What’s more, the album’s striking originals and zesty interpretations find the band equaling that ...

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Recording

"This Could Be That," 3rd CD By Drummer Brian Andres & The Afro-Cuban Jazz Cartel, Due For January 15 Release

"This Could Be That," 3rd CD By Drummer Brian Andres & The Afro-Cuban Jazz Cartel, Due For January 15 Release

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity

Drummer Brian Andres has been leading his powerhouse Afro-Cuban Jazz Cartel since 2007, establishing them as a prime voice in the thriving San Francisco Bay Area Latin jazz scene. With his third album, This Could Be That, which is due for release by his Bacalao Records imprint on January 15, Andres and his Cartel exert a firm grip on the music’s cutting edge, playing with confidence, poise, and rhythmic imagination. Featuring a core octet drawn from the cream of local ...

Recording

"San Francisco," 2nd CD By Bay Area Drummer Brian Andres & The Afro-Cuban Jazz Cartel, Due July 16

"San Francisco," 2nd CD By Bay Area Drummer Brian Andres & The Afro-Cuban Jazz Cartel, Due July 16

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity

Drummer Brian Andres’s new album with the Afro-Cuban Jazz Cartel, San Francisco, not only takes its title from the band’s home base. The CD, to be released July 16 by the leader’s Bacalao Records imprint, also makes a persuasive case for the assertion that San Francisco has its own distinctive Latin jazz sound (the classic “San Francisco Tiene Su Propio Son” is included on the disc). “There’s so much talent in the Bay Area, I wanted to represent the guys ...

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Music Industry

Spotlight: Drummers Speak, Brian Andres and the Afro-Cuban Jazz Cartel

Spotlight: Drummers Speak, Brian Andres and the Afro-Cuban Jazz Cartel

Source: All About Jazz


Brian Andres Trio Latino “Andres excels when things get aggressive, attacking the oft-complex tunes with staccato accuracy while integrating his vigorous kit grooves with cowbell and woodblock. He also wields his impressive technique with a lighter, breathing touch when needed, as on “Higashi Nakano”, and shows minimal restraint in the brushwork of “Si Tu Vez.” A bronco ride of dazzling chops, uplifting melodies, and zestful groove.” - Jeff Porter, Modern Drummer Magazine - July 2020 “It is not easy – by any stretch of imagination – for a drummer to restrain his instrument from taking over the musical soundscape thereby making everything overwhelming “rhythmic”, a blemish that would ruin a recording

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Primary Instrument

Drums

Location

San Francisco

Willing to teach

Beginner to advanced

Credentials/Background

There are certain basic skills that all drummers must possess regardless of what style of music they play. The mastery of those rudimentary skills is the foundation of my teaching practice, while keeping in mind each students individual needs and goals. I am currently teaching drumset, snare drum, timbales, bongo and beginner conga. Experience the joy, passion, and expression of drumming and earn to play your favorite music on drum set. Learn rhythms & proper technique; how to play musically and improvise; how to “feel,” count, and notate music; and play along with almost any music! Drumming is also a great way for dancers to gain a deeper understanding of the rhythms that accompany their dancing. I am a patient and attentive teacher who will create a course to suit your needs.

Clinic/Workshop Information

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Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Mayan Suite

Bacalao Records
2020

buy

This Could Be That

Self Produced
2016

buy

San Francisco

Self Produced
2013

buy

Drummers Speak

Self Produced
2007

buy

Videos

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