Adrean Farrugia Ricochet
Award winning pianist and composer Adrean Farrugia is one of Canada’s most distinct voices on the piano.
Adrean comes from a musical family. His father Bruno is a professional drummer in the music scene. His grandfather Joseph Ivan Arsenault was a Maritime fiddler. Adrean studied classical piano with Shirley Coit and Donald Cook before discovering a love of jazz music in college.
In 1992 Adrean enrolled in the Mohawk College Applied music program studying with Mark Eisenman, Dave McMurdo, Mike Malone, Christopher Hunt, and Brian Dickinson. In 1996 Adrean continued his Education at the University of Toronto Jazz Performance program studying with Gary Williamson, Kevin Turcotte, and Phil Nimmons. Also in 1996, Adrean attended the Banff Centre for the Arts’ Summer Jazz Workshop where he studied and performed with Don Thompson, Hugh Fraser, Kenny Wheeler, Pat and Joe Labarbera, and Norma Winstone. Adrean has also received private instruction from jazz legends Cedar Walton, Geoff Keezer, Benny Green, and British pianist John Taylor.
Since the late 1990s Adrean has been in high demand as a freelance performer and teacher. Keeping a busy touring schedule, mainly as a sideman, Adrean has toured extensively across Canada and the United States as well as in venues across Europe and in Japan. Adrean has performed/recorded with some of jazz’s greatest and most diverse artists including: Larry Carlton, Curtis Fuller, Tom Scott, Bob Brookmeyer, Randy Brecker, Eric Alexander, Chris Potter, Joel Frahm, Matt Penman, Brad Goode, Kenny Wheeler, Darcy James Argue, Don Thompson, Lorne Lofsky, Kevin Turcotte, Kelly Jefferson, and Pat Labarbera.
Adrean is currently pianist for such diverse projects as the Matt Dusk Band, the Brad Goode Quartet, The Ernesto Cervini Quartet (featuring saxophonist Joel Frahm), Tim Shia’s ‘The Worst Pop Band Ever’, the Bob Brough Quartet and the Darcy Hepner Big Band. Adrean also works regularly with his wife, vocalist Sophia Perlman.
Adrean has appeared on more than 30 recordings to date and his debut recording as a leader Adrean Farrugia v1.0: Live at the Senator was released in the summer of 2006 on ROMHOG RECORDS. It features his skills as both a pianist and composer. This album has enjoyed regular play on Toronto’s JazzFM and the CBC as has led to appearances on JazzFM’s ‘Joe Sealy’s Duets’ as well as a feature article in Performance Magazine by jazz journalist Geoff Chapman.
In 2008, Adrean forged a new project entitled RICOCHET . The band released their JUNO nominated debut recording in 2010 on the Mainstage at the TD Canada Trust Toronto International Jazz festival.
Adrean is currently on the faculty of York University and Mohawk College of Arts and Technology where he teaches jazz piano and improvisation. He has also done workshops/clinics at the University of Colorado, University of Toronto, The University of Western Ontario, The Banff Centre for the arts, and in Warsaw Poland as part of the Polish Jazz Society’s 35th annual Summer Jazz Workshop. As well, Adrean has been a contributing writer to piano guru Larry Fine’s publication “The Piano Book”, the world’s foremost publication on all things piano.
In April of 2011 Adrean was invited to perform and to participate as a panelist at the 63rd annual Conference on World Affairs in Boulder Colorado, a week long event bringing together individuals from all walks of life from around the world to discuss the current state of politics, the world economy, human rights, the arts, the environment and many other topics in panel discussions for the general public. As the sole invitee from Canada, this was a great honour for Adrean
Adrean Farrugia is a Shigeru Kawai artist.
Performance
Saturday, September 10, 2016
6:30 pm
TUJF Stage