Equally fluent on trumpet and flugelhorn, Brian Groder....

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 1990s, 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 Caf, among others.

The Brian Groder Ensembles 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. 2009 saw the release of Groder & Greene, a collaboration between Brian and avante-jazz pioneer Burton Greene, called "one of the year's best" - by All About Jazz.

Brian Groder plays "Simone" at Jazz On Edge 2010 - jazzonedge.com Brian Groder, trumpet; Doug Mathews, bass; Per Danielsson, piano; Tamara Danielsson, sax