Adam Birnbaum (born 1979) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

pianist, composer, and arranger. He was the winner of the 2004

American Pianists Association The American Pianists Association is a performing arts organization based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, that holds two national, quadrennial piano competitions in alternating 2-year cycles: the Classical Fellowship Awards and the Jazz Fellowshi ...

Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz.

Life and career

Birnbaum was born in 1979."Adam Birnbaum"
. New York Youth Symphony. Retrieved March 29, 2015. He studied "music theory, chamber music, and classical and jazz performance" at the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The conservatory is located on H ...

's Preparatory School. He graduated from

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

in 2001, and went on to study at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

. In 2004, he won the 2004

Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz. Birnbaum toured Japan and South Korea in 2008 as part of the Juilliard Jazz All-Stars. In 2008 Birnbaum received a

Chamber Music America Chamber Music America (CMA) is an American non-profit organization that provides small ensemble professionals with access to a variety of professional development, networking, and funding resources. CMA's regular initiatives include grants, awards, ...

grant to compose music for a piano trio. From around 2009 Birnbaum has been part of drummer

Al Foster Aloysius Tyrone Foster (born January 18, 1943) is an American jazz drummer. Foster's professional career began in the mid-60s, when he played and recorded with hard bop and swing musicians including Blue Mitchell and Illinois Jacquet. Foster ...

's quartet.

Playing style

The ''

Down Beat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' 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".Silsbee, Kirk (April 2015) "Adam Birnbaum – Three of a Mind". ''Down Beat''. p. 54.

Discography

An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.

As leader/co-leader

As sideman

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birnbaum, Adam 1979 births American jazz pianists American male pianists Boston College alumni Juilliard School alumni Living people 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians