Many great ensembles are organized around one dynamic individual. In this case, NYFA is excited to have partnered with such an illustrious and talented bandleader as Brian Lynch to lead NYFA’s cultural diplomacy tour to Latvia. Here is just a tiny slice of his extensive biography…
Brian Lynch
A highly esteemed and influential musician within both the hardcore straight ahead and Latin Jazz communities, Grammy Award Winner Brian Lynch is as comfortable negotiating the complexities of clave with Afro-Caribbean pioneer Eddie Palmieri as he is swinging through advanced harmony with bebop maestro Phil Woods. An honored graduate of two of the jazz world’s most distinguished academies, Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and the Horace Silver Quintet, he has been a valued collaborator with jazz artists such as Benny Golson, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and Charles McPherson; Latin music icons as diverse as Hector LaVoe and Lila Downs; and pop luminaries such as Prince. As a bandleader and recording artist he has released a series of critically acclaimed CDs featuring his distinctive composing and arranging, and toured the world with various ensembles reflecting the wide sweep of his music.
Lynch is also an accomplished project leader, demonstrating a rare organizational acumen for coordinating and leading complex artistic and educational projects. He has partnered with a number of nonprofit and government entities to produce events, and recently led a U.S. State Department cultural diplomacy tour to the Dominican Republic in 2009. Lynch’s skills as an organizer have been recognized formally through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Chamber Music America, and Meet The Composer. Brian is especially excited about the upcoming cultural diplomacy tour to Latvia with the Brian Lynch NYU Afro-Caribbean Jazz Octet, an ambitious project in partnership with New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), NYU and the U.S. Embassy in Latvia.
He is currently on the faculty at New York University as well as conducting clinics and workshops at prestigious institutions of learning the world over. His talents have been recognized by top rankings in the Downbeat Critics and Readers Polls; highly rated reviews for his work in Downbeat, Jazziz and Jazz Times; three Grammy award nominations as well as a 2007 Grammy Award.
Brian’s most recent CD releases as a leader include Bolero Nights (Venus); his Grammy Award winning collaborative recording project with Eddie Palmieri, Simpático (ArtistShare – http://brianlynch.artistshare.com); Spheres Of Influence Suite (EWE), and ConClave (Criss Cross)
For more information about Brian Lynch, see his website at www.brianlynchjazz.com.
