Adam SCHROEDER, baritone saxophone, Los Angeles
Los Angeles based baritone saxophonist Adam Schroeder; voted a “Rising Star” on the Baritone
Saxophone inDown Beat Magazine’s5 9th Annual Critic’s Poll as well as in the 76th
Annual Reader’s Poll, has firmly established his influential voice as a major force in the global jazz
scene.
A first call for a growing multitude of musical circumstances, Schroeder is known equally
for his hard-driving muscular swing, ferocious be-bopping, meticulous musicianship & leadership
as well as his exquisite sound. His style has been described as possessing soula la Carney,
intricate lines like those of Chaloff & Adams, the in-the-pocket swing of Mulligan & the hard-driving take-no-prisoners approach of Smulyan. This description of Schroeder’s approach is a
concise ‘short list’ of the baritone saxophone lineage with which Schroeder’s name should duly
be added for he is truly a master of the most unwieldy of traditional jazz instruments.
Currently receiving rave reviews & climbing the jazz charts is“Let’s” (CAPRI, June 2014)
Schroeder’s 2ndrelease as a leader. His debut release,“A Handful of Stars,”(CAPRI, 2010)
reached #10 on the JazzWeek National Jazz Radio Chart & was also recognized as one of the
“Top 100 Releases for 2010.”
Hailing from Sioux City, Iowa, Adam began his musical studies on alto saxophone while in grade
school. After an introduction to Charlie Parker in 1992, Schroeder’s musical interest became
fixed solely within the jazz idiom. He discovered his saxophonistic voice between his junior &
senior years, switching from the alto over to the baritone saxophone. Later that same year, Adam
was asked to fill the baritone role in the college big band at Clark Terry’s International Institute
of Jazz Studies. The acceptance of this position sparked a relationship with the famed trumpeter,
which lead to a multitude of musical opportunities shared between the two players for many
years.
In June of 2000, Downbeat Magazine named Mr. Schroeder the Co-Winner of the “Jazz
Instrumental Soloist Award” (the 23rd Annual Student Music Awards); the first time that a
Baritone Saxophonist has been given this prestigious honor. Later that same year, Mr.
Schroeder’s career took off with calls coming in from Columbia Artists (Maureen McGovern &
John Pizzarelli in Concert), Clark Terry (The QE2’s 17th Annual Floating Jazz Festival), & from
Ray Charles; a call that started a four & a half year relationship up until the singer’s untimely
passing.
Throughout his career, Adam has had the fortunate opportunity to play & record with a growing
list of musical greats. Performance highlights include contributions to many Grammy winning &
nominated albums; working on NBC’s
“The Voice,”“X-Factor,” “The Tonight Show with Jay
Leno” & “The Ellen DeGeneres Show; "FOX’s“American Idol; ”with the Los Angeles
Philharmonic, Michael Buble, Diana Krall, Bill Cosby, Sting, SuperSax, the Bob Mintzer Big
Band, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra, Gordon Goodwin’s Big
Phat Band along with the late baritone saxophonists Nick Brignola & Jack Nimitz.
While maintaining an active schedule, Schroeder’s presence in the jazz community, both stateside
& abroad, is felt not only in his intense musicality, but also in his outreach to the community as
well. When asked about his flourishing career, Adam replied, “Clark Terry has not ONCE
stopped reaching out to others, always taking the time out of his life to give, be it mentoring in
music or in life. He instilled that in me from the moment we first met; that’s a lesson I’ll never
forget & a lesson I strive to live up to each & every day of my musical life.”
Schroeder is a Yamaha Artist & a Vandoren Reeds, Mouthpiece & Ligature endorser. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.