Articles

Adam Shulman Septet: West Meets East

by Jack Bowers
August 14, 2020

The “west" here is represented by San Francisco-based pianist and group leader Adam Shulman, the “east" by the other half-dozen members of Shulman's impressive septet. Even though the reasons that led to the alliance are ambiguous, what matters is the payoff, and that is more than admirable from any vantage point. As if to mirror the ensemble's six-and-one makeup, Shulman wrote six of the album's seven engaging numbers; the seventh (the rapid-fire “Whose Blues") was composed by ...

Adam Shulman Sextet: Full Tilt

by Jack Bowers
February 7, 2018

In music, as in life, not every new voice is worth hearing. Here's one that is. Full Tilt, the fifth CD by San Francisco-born and based pianist Adam Shulman's sextet, is a throwback to those halcyon days when bop was king and giants like Diz, Bird, Miles, Max Roach, Hank Mobley, Benny Golson, Horace Silver, Wardell Gray, Lee Morgan, Kenny Clarke, Clifford Brown, Sonny Stitt, J.J. Johnson, Hampton Hawes, Freddie Hubbard, Milt Jackson, Kenny Dorham, Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon and ...

Take Five With Adam Shulman

by AAJ Staff
July 29, 2009

Meet Adam Shulman:Adam Shulman has been a staple of the San Francisco jazz scene since he moved to the city in 2002. Before the move, Adam was a student at UC Santa Cruz, where he studied with the great Smith Dobson and trumpeter/arranger Ray Brown. He received his degree in classical performance under the tutelage of Russian pianist Maria Ezerova. Currently, Adam plays regularly with Marcus Shelby, in large and small group contexts, and with Anton Schwartz mostly ...

Adam Shulman Quintet: Patterns Of Change

by Bruce Lindsay
July 22, 2009

Patterns Of Change is pianist Adam Shulman's second CD, and features the trio of musicians who appeared on his debut, On Second Thought (Kabocha Records, 2008)--tenor saxophonist Dayna Stephens, bassist John Wiitala and drummer Jon Arkin. This release also sees the addition of trumpeter/flugelhornist Mike Olmos, bringing added depth and a wider palette of sounds to this assured collection of eight Shulman compositions. In Shulman's liner notes he discusses the inspiration for the album and its title: ...

Take Five With Adam Shulman

by AAJ Staff
July 14, 2009

Meet Adam Shulman: Adam Shulman has been a staple of the San Francisco Jazz scene since he moved to the city in 2002. Before the move, Adam was a student at UC Santa Cruz where he studied with the great Smith Dobson and the trumpeter/arranger Ray Brown. He received his degree in classical performance under the tutelage of the Russian pianist Maria Ezerova. Currently, Adam plays regularly with Marcus Shelby in large and small group contexts and with Anton Schwartz ...

Adam Shulman Quartet: On Second Thought

by Larry Taylor
March 10, 2008

With On Second Thought, the Adam Shulman Quartet breaks through with its first CD, a selection of thoughtful and eminently accessible originals by leader and pianist Shulman. It features eight melodic compositions, melding perfectly the group's talented musicians, which include Dayna Stephens on alto, John Wiitala on bass and Jon Arkin on drums.

Shulman has been active in the San Francisco jazz scene since he moved there some six years ago, playing regularly in the Bay ...