| Equally fluent on trumpet and flugelhorn, Brian Groder draws on the entire jazz tradition, as well as world music
influences, to create compositions critics have called "Music not only for today, but also for tomorrow," and AllAboutJazz hailed as "Music of ceaselessly fascinating
possibilities." 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 Café, among
others. The Brian Groder Ensemble’s first CD, Ancestral Tongues, received
special commendation from critic Andy Bartlett for the beauty of the ballads and the “compelling solo work from all." Subsequent recordings,
Perihelion and Incantations, drew critical praise in Europe and Japan, becoming staples on “The National Radio Show” in the
Netherlands. In 2007 Brian released Torque, a CD featuring the legendary composer/performer Sam Rivers and his trio, which received a
"Four Star" rating from Downbeat Magazine. |
