Brian Woodruff
Chair, Percussion | Co-Chair, Jazz Department| Drum Instructor
He/Him
“Beyond passing on my love of music, I try give students a positive, one-on-one relationship with an adult figure who can perhaps fill some of the needs their parents can’t.”
Drummer Brian Woodruff has performed with Bobby Watson, Marian McPartland, Rufus Reid, Gary Versace, James Spaulding, Jimmy Heath, Harvie S, Sherman Irby, Robin Eubanks, Genes and Jazz at the Kennedy Center, Ledisi, Melba Moore, and on the Today Show.
Recently, Brian has been playing with Brenda Earle Stokes, Vicki Burns, the Takaaki Otomo Trio, the Lee Tomboulian Trio, Lauren Lee, Takeshi Asai, Elizabeth Tomboulian, the New-Trad Octet, Andrea Balducci, Church of the Village, and Marieann Meringolo. Brian is the house drummer for Unity of New York, a new-thought church that held Sunday gatherings at Symphony Space since 2002. As the founder and organizer of the Blackbird’s Session, he played with the revolving cast of New York’s finest jazz players during its 3.5 year run. Mr. Woodruff has made three recordings as a leader: “The Tarrier,” which garnered critical acclaim for Brian’s drumming and compositions. 2018’s “The Ing” with the OKB Trio (a collective trio featuring pianist Oscar Perez and bassist Kuriko Tsugawa), which received glowing reviews and stayed on the RMR jazz charts for 15 weeks, peaking at number one. “A Centering Peace,” a new set of Brian’s compositions written for his sextet, featuring Mike Rodriguez on trumpet and special guest vocalist Elisabeth Lohninger, received rave reviews upon its release in 2021 on QJOG Records.
Mr. Woodruff received a Bachelor of Music in Applied Percussion from the University of Connecticut and a Master’s Degree in Jazz and Commercial Music from the Manhattan School of Music. Brian is on the faculty of the Brooklyn Music School and is a founding member of the Queens Jazz OverGround, currently serving as its Executive Director.
See more of Brian’s work here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fUfUudI4Uk&t=4874s