KEVIN BRADY
DRUMMER/COMPOSER/EDUCATOR

“Brady’s Plan B is classicist, adventurous, insistent on it’s own modernity”  Downbeat U.S.

“Brady is an impressive drummer with strong chops, impeccable taste, creative & most notably, terrific tone”  All About Jazz U.S.

 

Kevin Brady grew up in a family where music and music appreciation was a high priority.  Beginning at age six, he studied classical piano and trumpet privately and later added the drums to his repertoire taking lessons at the Newpark Academy of Music. He then went on to study with some of New York’s finest musicians at the Drummers Collective. He has established himself as One of the most in demand musicians in Europe. His music has been recognised and critically acclaimed in The Irish Times, The Chicago Reader, Jazzwise, Jazz Podium, The Sydney Morning Herald, All About Jazz, Marlbank and Downbeat Magazine. His teachers have included Elliot Zigmund, Kim Plainfield, Bobby Sanabrias, Ralph Peterson, Keith Copeland, Jeff Ballard, Matt Wilson & Ben Perowsky.

Kevin received first class honours in his MA in Music from The Cork School of Music, CIT, Cork. He received a Licentiate Diploma in Drumkit Performance from the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Kevin has researched and studied many different ethnic drumming styles and this has led to extensive study periods in Havana, Cuba with World renowned percussionists Jose Eladio Amat & Luis Papine. He became a founding member of the Hammond Organ trio Organics in 1997, thereafter they became the first recipients of The Young Musicwide Award in Ireland.   In Ireland, Kevin performs regularly with many of the country’s leading musicians’ including:  The RBG Trio, Scott Flanigan Trio,Richie Buckley Quintet, The Tommy Halferty Brazilian Quartet and many more.

Kevin has performed with International artists such as: Peter Bernstein (Guitar), Seamus Blake (Sax) Norma Winstone (Vocals) Pee Wee Ellis (Sax) Bill Carrothers (Piano) Larry Coryell (Guitar) Nir Felder (Guitar), Perico Sambeat (Sax) Ian Shaw (Vocals), John Ruocco (Clarinet), Ronnie Cuber (Sax) Guy Barker (Trumpet), Bobby Watson (Sax) Randy Ingram (Piano) Ulf Wakenius (Guitar) and Anders Bergcrantz (Trumpet) Lage Lund (Guitar), Jason Rebello (Piano), Brian Charette (Hammond Organ), Ant Law (Guitar)

In Ireland, Kevin has performed and recorded with artists & groups such as Van Morrison, Luka Bloom, Richie Buckley, Jimmy McCarthy, Grada, Louis Stewart, Choice Music Award Nominee Dave Geraghty (Bell X1) . In 2012 he performed with Grammy Award winning Violinist Monica Huggett & The Irish Baroque Orchestra to perform the commissioned piece entitled ‘Groove Theory’.

He has recorded on numerous recording sessions with established Irish and International artists, and has played on numerous TV & radio shows for companies such as NBC, ABC, RTE, BBC.  Kevin is Head of the Jazz Department at the Newpark Academy of Music in Dublin. In 2017, he began lecturing at The Dublin City University on the BA Degree in Jazz Performance & Contemporary Music. Kevin has conducted numerous workshops & Masterclasses worldwide as an endorsed artist for Zildjian Cymbals, Evans Drumheads and Vic Firth drumsticks.

Kevin has performed Internationally at music festivals & venues such as: Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Brecon Jazz Festival, London Jazz Festival, Kento – Shanghai, Euro Jazz Fest – Mexico, Angra Jazz Fest – Azores, Dubai Jazz Festival, Jazz Utsav Festival in India, Splash Festival in South Africa, Glasgow Jazz Fest, Mai Jazz & Silda Jazz Fests in Norway, Paris Jazz Festival & Cork International Jazz Festival.  He has performed at many of the World’s most prestigious venues such as The Sydney Opera House, London jazz clubs Ronnie Scotts & Pizza Express.

He has also supported and performed on double-bill concerts with acts such as: Kurt Elling, Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, Andrew Hill, Swedish piano trio EST, Norwegian Composer Bugge Wesseltoft & Soul legend Gil-Scott Heron.

In 2007, Kevin began to lead his own piano trio featuring the U.S. pianist Bill Carrothers.   Their aim was to create and produce compositions by all members of the trio. The group have travelled widely and won the appreciation of discerning jazz audiences as far afield as the USA, Europe, China and the Azores. To date he has released four internationally acclaimed studio albums entitled Plan B, Ensam, Common Ground & Zeitgeist. His latest album entitled ‘PLAN B’features U.S. Saxophonist Seamus Blake & Bill Carrothers on Fender Rhodes. The album received a 4.5 Star Album review from Downbeat Magazine and was selected as one of the Top jazz Album releases of 2022.