Trombonist, Composer, Educator
Though rooted in jazz, Denver-based trombonist, composer, arranger, and educator Adam Bartczak reaches into many walks of music. His compositions have been performed by the West Point Academy’s Jazz Knights, the University of North Texas One O’clock Lab Band, the Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra, and his own Adam Bartczak Republic, among other groups.
A Colorado native, Adam grew up playing in jazz, rock, reggae, Afro-Cuban, and Dixieland bands, to name a few. In addition to jazz, blues, and soul, his music and playing are influenced by various popular and world music styles.
He earned a BM from the University of Colorado at Boulder before joining Denver-based hip-hop/jazz collective Yo, Flaco! (American Music Award nominee and winner of Jim Beam’s Best Un-signed Band in America) with whom he recorded three albums and toured extensively.
He moved east to attend the New England Conservatory in Boston, where he studied with Bob Brookmeyer, earned a MM in Jazz Composition, and had numerous works performed by the Jazz Composers’ Workshop Orchestra and the Jazz Composers’ Ensemble.
Recent projects have included presentations of works at the Jazz Education Network Conference, and for the West Point Jazz Knights Composers Forum, where he worked with esteemed jazz composer Jim McNeely. Adam worked on The Soul of Jewish Music, which premiered in Los Angeles and featured iconic violinist Itzhak Perlman. Performances of his arrangements for jazz orchestra have featured artists such as Donny McCaslin, Jeff Coffin, Robin Eubanks, Brian Lynch, Bill Pierce, and Geoffrey Keezer. As a performer, he has shared the stage with artists such as Ron Miles, Karl Denson, Del the Funky Homosapien, Big Gigantic, and Ziggy Marley.
Currently, he teaches at Metropolitan State University of Denver and performs in a wide variety of groups. He also taught for Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts, and at the the University of Northern Colorado, where he earned a Doctorate in Jazz Studies with a secondary emphasis in Classical Composition. He plays with several local groups, including his own jazz quintet, which has performed at the Telluride Jazz Celebration on three occasions. His first release as a leader, the Adam Bartczak Republic’s “Grass Is Greener” is available on Dazzle Recordings. Adam also leads regular performances of his jazz quintet, The Democracy, which received a Pathways to Jazz grant to record their debut album, and has recently released its second album.