Primary Instrument: Trumpet
Brian Groder is rapidly becoming known as one of the most original jazz voices of his generation. Equally fluent on trumpet and flugelhorn, Groder draws on the entire jazz tradition, as well as world music influences, to create the music Cadence magazine has hailed as “tender and well delivered, with subtle and unexpected rhythmic responses.”
Groder's preference for working with other composer/performers gives his brand of modern progressive jazz unique improvisatory richness and depth. For performances and recordings of the Brian Groder Ensemble, founded in the early 1990's, Groder chooses from a pool of talented musicians, including core members Francesca Tanksley, acclaimed pianist and composer (Billy Harper Quintet, Erica Lindsay, David Newman, Cecil Payne), and percussionist, composer and solo artist Newman Taylor Baker (Benny Powell, Ahmad Jamal, Dewey Redman, Henry Threadgill). The Ensemble has performed throughout the country, including the Cape May Jazz Festival, the Orlando Fringe Festival, the Rittenhouse Square Arts Festival, and, in New York, at Visiones, The Knitting Factory, and the Cornelia Street Cafe, among others.
Brian's list of jazz cohorts includes an enviable collection of players from all segments of the jazz spectrum; Katsuyuki Itakura, Blaise Siwula, John McLellan, Jackson Krall, Albey Balgochian, JD Parran, Taylor Ho Bynum, Andrew Lamb, Amanda Butterfield, Kevin Kuhn, and Andy McKee are just a few of the musicians who have shared a stage or recording session with Mr. Groder.
