Biographie
Having honed his craft at the Cincinnati College - Conservatory of Music, the Cleveland native started his career by winning the 2003 Cincinnati Entertainment Award for Best Jazz and going on to organize New Talent Night at Cincinnati's premier jazz establishment, the Blue Wisp. Fulfilling his dream to become a New York City jazz man, Brian moved to New York in 2004 and has since routinely performed standards and original compositions as bandleader at New York City institutions such as Feinstein's, The Oak Room, and Rose Bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel, where he has maintained a widely-acclaimed residency since 2011.
One of the most reputable and dynamic trumpeters in the business, Brian is perhaps best known as Lady Gaga jazz bandleader, having most recently collaborated with her and Tony Bennett on the Grammy-nominated album, Cheek to Cheek, as well as appearing on notable television broadcasts and promotional appearances including PBS "Great Performances" Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek LIVE! (2014), ABC's A Very Gaga Thanksgiving (2011) and Good Morning America (1975), NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014), Today (1952), Saturday Night Live (1975) and Christmas in Rockefeller Center (2014), and BBC's Strictly Come Dancing (2004) and Radio 1's Big Weekend (2011). Brian's trumpet performance with Gaga was also captured on 2011's A Very Gaga Holiday EP as well as a special jazz version of Gaga's hit "You and I" which she tweeted was inspired by "too many whiskies with Newman". Gaga has also made surprise appearances at Brian's gigs throughout New York City, including her first performance after recovering from hip surgery in 2013 at Rose Bar. Brian also routinely appears for special live performances with a diverse array of musical acts ranging from country's Dierks Bentley to rock stalwarts Willie Nile and The Dirty Pearls.
Coming to prominence helming his elegant "After Dark" jazz and burlesque revue at Duane Park as well as his two-year run at the Plaza Hotel's legendary Oak Room, Brian presided over closing night of the venerable Big Apple institution in 2011 in his inimitable style as he and his quartet served up a nostalgic array of standards punctuated by swinging banter and permeated by his musical joie de vivre. Realizing the importance of the event, Brian kept the tape rolling and the rowdy yet refined recorded performance was released as his debut album, Live From New York City. Later that year, Brian further cemented his iconic cocktail culture status with a series of Late Night Jazz performances at Feinstein's at the Loews Regency.
Brian continues to be a popular choice for a diverse array of major brands as a master of ceremonies and bandleader for high-profile special event performances. Brian was handpicked by Jack Daniel's in 2012 to herald the release of its Sinatra Select premium Tennessee Whiskey to celebrate the brand's famed association with Ol' Blue Eyes, where Brian shared the stage with Frank Sinatra Jr. in Cannes. Brian also helmed Tiffany & Co.'s Roaring Twenties-themed Blue Book Ball in 2013 to celebrate the famed jeweler's Jazz Age collection inspired by 'Baz Luhrmann's' remake of The Great Gatsby (2013), for which Brian performed with Megan Hilty.
Brian's throwback style has also had Hollywood calling with other film and television performances including HBO's Boardwalk Empire (2010) and feature films Friends with Kids (2011) and Hey Bartender (2013), for which he recorded "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" and "One for My Baby", respectively. Brian was also named official trumpet player of The Greg James Show on BBC Radio.
Brian's musical stylings and bespoke fashion have been described as the eclectic embodiment of both new world punk and old world tastefulness, allowing him to gracefully toe the line between nouveau chic and classic elegance, for which he has been widely featured in publications such as The New York Times Magazine, PMC Magazine, Lifestyle Mirror and StyleLikeU.
A musician's musician, Brian has been endorsed by leading American audio manufacturer, QSC, and is specially featured on their K for Musicians website touting the company's active loudspeakers as the perfect solution for accurate sound reproduction of digital sources in a live application, allowing musicians to be more expressive, add nuance and greater dynamics, and produce more creative and inspired live performances.
Brian married burlesque star,Angie Pontani of the World Famous Pontani Sisters in February 2013, with whom he most notably performs in connection with Pontani's New York Burlesque Festival and Burlesque-a-Pades shows. Their marriage was covered extensively by the New York City media, including a full color Sunday spread in the New York Daily News written by legendary New York columnist Joanna Molloy.
The ultimate embodiment of "old school", Brian's interests include classic cars and bikes, vintage tattoo art and New York City history.
