Warren Wolf Jr. (born November 10, 1979) is an American jazz vibraphonist from

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Maryland.

Biography

Under the tutelage of his father, Warren Wolf Sr., Warren began his music studies at the age of three, learning the vibraphone, marimba, drums, and piano. A classically trained musician, he attended the

Peabody Institute The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University is a private conservatory and preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1857 and opened in 1866 by merchant/financier and philanthropist George Peabody (1795–1869) ...

's preparatory program for eight years. He attended high school at the

Baltimore School for the Arts The Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA) is a public performing arts high school located in Mount Vernon, Baltimore, Maryland, United States and is part of the Baltimore City Public Schools system. Established in 1979, The Baltimore School for the ...

, from which he graduated in 1997, and subsequently attended the Berklee College of Music, where he studied under jazz vibraphonist

Dave Samuels David Alan Samuels (October 9, 1948 – April 22, 2019) was an American vibraphone and marimba player who spent many years with the contemporary jazz group Spyro Gyra. His recordings and live performances during that period also reflect his p ...

for seven of eight semesters, the remaining semester being spent receiving instruction from vibraphonist Ed Saindon. During his time at Berklee Wolf was an active member of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

's jazz scene, playing the vibraphone, drums, and piano, and with his friend, trumpeter Jason Palmer he co-led a group at

Wally's Cafe Located today on 427 Massachusetts Avenue, Wally’s Cafe originally opened across the street on January 1st 1947 by Joseph L Walcott. Formerly Wally’s Paradise, the institution is recognized as one of Boston’s oldest and longest operating Jaz ...

, the legendary Boston jazz venue, where he worked as house drummer. He graduated from Berklee in 2001 and remained active on the Boston jazz scene as a local musician. In September 2003 Wolf became an instructor in the percussion department at Berklee, giving private lessons on the vibraphone and drums, as well as teaching a beginners' keyboard class for entering freshmen majoring in drum performance. Since leaving Berklee in 2005 for Baltimore, Wolf has been active on the international jazz scene, touring with

Bobby Watson Robert Michael Watson Jr. (born August 23, 1953), known professionally as Bobby Watson, is an American saxophonist, composer, and educator. Music career Watson was born in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and grew up in Kansas City, Kansas. He ...

's "Live and Learn" Sextet,

Karriem Riggins Karriem Riggins is an American jazz drummer, hip hop producer, DJ and songwriter. Biography Riggins was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States, son of keyboardist Emmanuel Riggins. As a child, he would often watch his father perform with G ...

' "Virtuoso Experience",

Donal Fox Donal Fox (born ) is an American composer, pianist and improviser in the jazz and classical genres. He was the first African-American composer-in-residence with the St. Louis Symphony (1991–1992). In 1993 he was a visiting artist at Harvard U ...

's Scarlatti Jazz Suite Project,

Christian McBride Christian McBride (born May 31, 1972) is an American jazz bassist, composer and arranger. He has appeared on more than 300 recordings as a sideman, and is an eight-time Grammy Award winner. McBride has performed and recorded with a number of j ...

& "Inside Straight", and with his own group of young musicians, "Wolfpack". His reputation as a gifted jazz lion is acknowledged by respected jazz critics such as the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''′s Ben Ratliff, who favorably reviewed Wolf's performance of November 16, 2011, at the 92nd Street Y's

92YTribeca 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) is a cultural and community center located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, at the corner of East 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Founded in 1874 as the Young Men's Hebrew Association, the ...

venue, a performance that was featured by

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

with a 60-minute video on its website. Wolf has made several recordings as a leader and a sideman. His recent effort, the eponymous ''Warren Wolf'' (2011), features

on bass, Peter Martin on piano, Greg Hutchinson on drums, Tim Green on alto and soprano saxophones, and

Jeremy Pelt Jeremy Pelt (born November 4, 1976, in California) is an American jazz trumpeter. Career Pelt studied classical trumpet as a child and focused on jazz after playing in a high school jazz ensemble. He studied at Berklee College of Music. Among th ...

on trumpet. In the '' New York Daily News'' on October 15, 2011, Greg Thomas wrote of the CD: "To say that Warren Wolf's Mack Avenue debut is auspicious would be an understatement. No doubt, this is one of the best of the year in jazz." Wolf's other notable recordings as a leader are ''Incredible Jazz Vibes'' (M & I, 2005) (featuring

Mulgrew Miller Mulgrew Miller (August 13, 1955 – May 29, 2013) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. As a child he played in churches and was influenced on piano by Ramsey Lewis and then Oscar Peterson. Aspects of their styles remained i ...

on piano, Vicente Archer on bass, and

Kendrick Scott Kendrick Scott (born July 8, 1980 in Houston, Texas, United States) is an American jazz drummer, bandleader, and composer. He is the founder of the record label World Culture Music. Biography Kendrick A.D. Scott was born and raised in Houston. ...

on drums), and ''Black Wolf'' (M & I, 2009) (again featuring Mulgrew Miller on piano, with

Rodney Whitaker Rodney Whitaker (born February 22, 1968) is an American jazz double bass player and educator. Biography Born in Detroit, Whitaker attended Wayne State University, and studied with Robert Gladstone, principal bass with the Detroit Symphony Orche ...

on bass, and

Jeff "Tain" Watts Jeff "Tain" Watts (born January 20, 1960) is a jazz drummer who has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Betty Carter, Michael Brecker, Alice Coltrane, Ravi Coltrane, and others. Biography Watts got the nickname "Tain" from Kenny ...

on drums).

Discography

As leader

As sideman

With

& Inside Straight * '' Kind of Brown'' (Mack Avenue, 2009) * ''

People Music ''People Music'' is a studio album by American jazz bassist Christian McBride together with his band Inside Straight. The record was released on via the Mack Avenue label. Background ''People Music'' is the second album for McBride's band Ins ...

'' (Mack Avenue, 2013) * '' Live at the Village Vanguard'' (Mack Avenue, 2021)

Compilations

* ''Live! From the 2013 Detroit Jazz Festival'' (Mack Avenue, 2014) * ''It's Christmas on Mack Avenue'' (Mack Avenue, 2014)

References

External links

Official WebsiteMack Avenue Artist Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolf, Warren American jazz vibraphonists American jazz musicians Berklee College of Music alumni Peabody Institute alumni Living people 1979 births Musicians from Baltimore African-American jazz musicians Jazz musicians from Maryland SFJAZZ Collective members Mack Avenue Records artists 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people