Brian Adler- Drummer, Composer, Teacher

Photo by Daniel Sheehan

Bio

Drummer/percussionist Brian Adler is equally at ease in many settings of improvised music including straight-ahead and avant-garde jazz, groove-based, ethnic, folk and Indian music. He is known for being an exceptionally creative musician and composer whose work challenges countless boundaries. Brian has had the pleasure of performing with: Gene Bertoncini, Ran Blake, Frank Carlberg, Anat Fort, Dave “Fuze” Fiuczynski, Erik Lawrence, Kate McGarry, Ben Monder, Stomu Takeishi, Ray Vega and many others.

Brian Adler has been featured in the Boston Globe, The Village Voice, Jazz Times, Time Out NY, Vancouver's Razer TV, NPR Musique Machine Magazine, All About Jazz, Cadence Magazine, Performer Magazine, Jazz Review, and many other media sources. His compositions have also been used in film featured at the South by Southwest film festival.

At home in both leader and sideman situations, Adler's musical choices and contributions are always tasteful. In 2003 he founded Prana Trio with vocalist Sunny Kim. The trio is dedicated to exploring original compositions, and free improvisations based on the spiritual texts of Rumi, Hafiz, Lao Tzu, Shankarcarya, Kabir, Issa and others. Described as “beautiful… magical…” by pianist Marilyn Crispell, the trio has produced three albums: The Singing Image of Fire (2010), Pranam (2006) and After Dark (2004) and has performed throughout the United States and Germany.

Adler is a founding member of Four Across, a group of long time friends that draws inspiration from middle eastern tea, dogs, bicycle percussion, tannins of broccoli and Danish cinema while maintaining strong musical connections to artists ranging from Danilo Perez and Thelonious Monk to Hanne Hukkelberg and Egberto Gismonti. In the spring of 2008 they released, "Four Across," their self-titled freshman album (8bells/Circavision Productions) which has received constant praise. Most recently, the band played at the Outpost Performance Space's Summer Festival, in Albuquerque, NM as part of their fifth US tour.

Brian is also a member of Nick Kadajski's 5 Point Perspective, Sharon Spinetti's jazz/classical cross-over ensemble, the Wendy Gilles band, Kelley Suttenfield's Band, Stone Arabia as well as others.

In 2004, Adler founded Circavision Productions, a record label, production company and music initiative that focuses its energy on creative improvisation, unique compositional voices, digital relations and worldwide partnerships that are able to stimulate, challenge and enrich the minds of listeners. Since its inception it has produced five albums and has sponsored seven national and international tours.

In addition to his performing, Mr. Adler is on faculty at Hoff Barthelson Music School, Larchmont Music Academy as well as maintaning his own private practice. He has presented clinics at University of Oregon, Jersey City University, and Hoff Barthelson Conservatory. In 2003-2005, Adler taught alongside Ran Blake in his Development of Long Term Melodic Memory course and Hankus Netsky with his Jazz Theory course, both at the New England Conservatory, Boston.

Brian Adler received a Bachelor's degree from The New England Conservatory, in 2005. He is grateful to have had the opportunity to study with such inspirational teachers as: Billy Hart, John Hollenbeck, Billy Higgins, Bob Moses, Fred Buda, Bob Meyer, Dave Rataczjak, Misha Masud, Joe Morris, Cecil McBee, and John McNeil as well as others.

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Brian Adler is well versed in many forms of improvised music including jazz, avant-garde, folk, and Indian music. He is known for his uniquely delicate, earthy sound and sparseness on the drums and his creative compositional style of framing ancient texts. Brian has had the privilege to perform with: Gene Bertoncini, Ran Blake, Dave "Fuze" Fiuczynski, Erik Lawrence, Kate McGarry, Ben Monder, Stomu Takeishi, and Ray Vega among others. In 2003 he founded Prana Trio with vocalist Sunny Kim. The trio is dedicated to exploring original compositions, and free improvisations based on the spiritual texts of Rumi, Hafiz, Lao Tzu, Kabir, Issa and others. Described as “beautiful… magical…” by pianist Marilyn Crispell, the trio has produced three albums: The Singing Image of Fire (2009), Pranam (2006) and After Dark (2004) and has performed throughout the United States and Germany. Adler has been featured in the Boston Globe, The Village Voice, JazzTimes, Time Out NY, Vancouver's Razer TV, NPR, Musique Machine Magazine, All About Jazz, Cadence Magazine, Performer Magazine, Jazz Review, and the South by Southwest film festival. Brian holds a Bachelor's Degree from the New England Conservatory of Music.