American jazz pianist, composer, arranger (born 1949)
Adam Birnbaum
At INNtöne Jazzfestival , Austria, 2016
Born 1979 (age 44–45) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. Genres Jazz Occupation(s) Musician, composer, arranger Instrument Piano Years active 2000s–present Website adambirnbaum.com
Musical artist
Adam Birnbaum (born 1979) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He was the winner of the 2004 American Piano Awards Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz.
Life and career
Birnbaum was born in 1979 in Boston , Massachusetts .[ 1] [ 2] He studied "music theory, chamber music, and classical and jazz performance" at the New England Conservatory of Music 's Preparatory School.[ 2] He graduated from Boston College in 2001, and went on to study at the Juilliard School .[ 2] In 2004, he won the American Piano Awards Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz.[ 3] Birnbaum toured Japan and South Korea in 2008 as part of the Juilliard Jazz All-Stars.[ 4]
In 2008 Birnbaum received a Chamber Music America grant to compose music for a piano trio.[ 5] From around 2009 Birnbaum has been part of drummer Al Foster 's quartet.[ 6]
Playing style
The DownBeat reviewer of Birnbaum's 2015 album Three of a Mind commented that the pianist "has a light touch, with playing that dances over the bars. He favors major keys, and his lyricism seems to sparkle".[ 7]
Discography
An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.
As leader/co-leader
Year recorded
Title
Label
Personnel/Notes
2006*
Ballade pour Adeline
Pony Canyon
Trio, with Matt Brewer (bass), Quincy Davis (drums)
2006*
A Comme Amour
Pony Canyon
Trio, with Ben Wolfe (bass), Rodney Green (drums)
2008*
Travels
Smalls
Trio, with Joe Sanders (bass), Rodney Green (drums)
2015*
Three of a Mind
Daedalus
Trio, with Doug Weiss (bass), Al Foster (drums)
2023
Preludes
Chelsea Music Festival
Trio, with Matt Clohesy (bass), Keita Ogawa (percussion)[ 8] [ 9]
As sideman
Year recorded
Leader
Title
Label
2003
Dominick Farinacci
Say It
M&I
2004*
JoJo David
Small Hours
CDBaby
2004*
Dominick Farinacci
Besame Mucho
M&I
2008*
Greg Osby
9 Levels
Inner Circle
References
^ "About | Adam Birnbaum biography" . adambirnbaum.com .
^ a b c "Adam Birnbaum" Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine . New York Youth Symphony. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
^ "Adam Birnbaum Named Cole Porter Fellow" Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine . (May 26, 2004) JazzTimes.
^ "School Notes" (September 2008), Down Beat . p. 92.
^ "New Jazz Works" . Chamber Music America. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
^ Chinen, Nate (February 16, 2015), "Review: Estelle, Adam Birnbaum, and Sonny and the Sunsets Release New Albums" . The New York Times .
^ Silsbee, Kirk (April 2015), "Adam Birnbaum – Three of a Mind". DownBeat . p. 54.
^ Mandel, Howard (December 2023). "Adam Birnbaum: Preludes". DownBeat . Vol. 90, no. 12. p. 63.
^ "Preludes" . Chelsea Music Festival Records . Retrieved December 30, 2023 .
External links