Brian Derek

Trine University - Jannen School of Arts & Science
260-665-8068 | email

Bassist Brian Derek started gigging professionally in high school working 5 nights a week, 5 hours a night. On graduating from high school, Brian arrived in Boston to attend Berklee College of Music where he studied all aspects of music, arranging, composition, orchestration and performance. In his teens at Berklee, Brian began working with several faculty ensembles. At this time, he also worked in the New England area with the Brubeck Brothers and jazz guitarist Mike Stern. Brian has performed throughout the east coast, Midwest as well as Florida. He has recorded many record/cd projects as a leader and sideman in various musical styles. Brian has won two awards from Billboard Magazine for composition. He has also worked cruise ships, off-Broadway shows, concerts, nightclubs, and radio shows. Brian earned respect in every jazz community he has lived: Boston, New York, Florida, Chicago (Brian lived and worked there for 10 years) and Northeast Indiana. Some musicians with whom Brian has worked are Stephen Stills (Crosby, Stills and Nash), Joe Beck (Jazz Guitarist), Jay McShann (Changed jazz history by hiring Charlie Parker for his first professional gigs in New York City) Pat Metheny and Peter Erskine (Performed benefit for Jaco Pastorius in 1987). He has also played concerts with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic performing with Neil Sedaka, the Fifth Dimension and the Platters. Currently Brian is teaching private electric bass lessons, jazz harmony/theory and improvisation, composing orchestral music and performing. He also has many cd's available on the internet and videos on YouTube that have well over 50,000 plays. While jazz is at the heart of whom Brian Derek is musically, he also performs Latin, Reggae, World Fusion, Afro Pop, Funk and about any style of music.