Kevin Brady is a professional musician from Dublin, Ireland with over twenty five years experience performing and recording both nationally and Internationally. He started his musical studies from an early age performing on both piano and trumpet. His interest in drumkit studies began at The Newpark Music Centre in Dublin and he later attended the Drummers Collective in New York, where his teachers included Kim Plainfield, Bobby Sanabrias and Gene Jackson. Other teachers have included Ralph Peterson, Keith Copeland, Jeff Ballard, Matt Wilson & Ben Perowsky.
Kevin received first class honours in his MA in Music from The Cork School of Music, CIT, Cork. He received a Licentiate Diploma in Drumkit Performance the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Kevin has researched and studied many different ethnic drumming styles and this has led to extensive study periods in Havana, Cuba with World reknowned percussionists Jose Eladio Amat & Luis Papine. He became a founding member of the Hammond Organ trio Organics in 1997, thereafter they became the first recipients of The Young Musicwide Award in Ireland. In Ireland, Kevin performs regularly with many of the country’s leading musicians’ including The Scott Flanigan Trio, The Richie Buckley Quintet & The Tommy Halferty Trio.
Kevin has performed both at home and abroad with International artists such as: Lage Lund (Guitar), Jason Rebello (Piano),Brian Charette (Hammond Organ), Peter Bernstein (Guitar), Seamus Blake (Sax), Norma Winstone (Vocals), Pee Wee Ellis (Sax), Bill Carrothers (Piano), Larry Coryell (Guitar), Nir Felder (Guitar), Perico Sambeat (Sax), Ian Shaw (Vocals), John Ruocco (Clarinet), Ronnie Cuber (Sax), Guy Barker (Trumpet), Bobby Watson (Sax), Randy Ingram (Piano) Ulf Wakenius (Guitar) and Anders Bergcrantz (Trumpet).
In Ireland, Kevin has performed and recorded with artists & groups such as Van Morrison, Luka Bloom, Jimmy McCarthy, Grada, Louis Stewart, Dave Geraghty and more recently with Hally & The Hymns. In 2012 he performed with Grammy Award winning Violinist Monica Huggett & The Irish Baroque Orchestra to perform the commissioned piece entitled ‘Groove Theory’ throughout Ireland.
He has recorded on numerous recording sessions with established Irish and International artists, and has played on numerous TV & radio shows for companies such as NBC, ABC, BBC, CHANNEL 7 & many of Ireland’s national radio and television broadcasting companies. Kevin is The Head of the Jazz Department at The Newpark Academy of Music in Dublin, in 2017 he began lecturing at The Dublin City University. He has conducted numerous workshops & masterclasses worldwide as an endorsed artist for Evans Drumheads, Zildjian Cymbals and Vic Firth Drumsticks..
Kevin has performed throughout the World at music festivals & venues such as: Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Brecon Jazz Festival, London Jazz Festival, Kento – Shanghai, Euro Jazz Fest – Mexico, Angra Jazz Fest – Azores, Dubai Jazz Festival, Jazz Utsav Festival in India, Splash Festival in South Africa, Glasgow Jazz Fest, Mai Jazz & Silda Jazz Fests in Norway, Paris Jazz Festival & Cork International Jazz Festival. He has performed at many of the World’s most prestigious venues such as The Sydney Opera House, London jazz clubs Ronnie Scotts & Pizza Express.
He has also supported and performed on double-bill concerts with acts such as: Kurt Elling, Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, Andrew Hill, Swedish piano trio EST, Norwegian Composer Bugge Wesseltoft & Soul legend Gil-Scott Heron.
In 2006 Kevin began to lead his own piano trio featuring the U.S. pianist/composer Bill Carrothers and bassist Dave Redmond. Their aim was to create and produce compositions by all members of the trio. The group have travelled widely and won the appreciation of discerning jazz audiences as far afield as the USA, Europe, China and the Azores. To date they have released three critically acclaimed studio albums entitled Common Ground & Zeitgeist. Their latest album features ECM recording artist Norma Winstone and is entitled Ensam. This recording was made possible by funding from The Arts Council of Ireland and The Music Network and features new compositions & arrangements penned by Brady.
In October 2021, Kevin will release his latest studio recording entitled 'PLAN B' with the London based Record Company Ubuntu Music. Featuring original compositions by Brady, the music is reminiscent of the Electric Miles Davis Group from the 70's while also tipping a hat to the funk and groove music composed by Herbie Hancock. World renowned musicians Saxophonist Seamus Blake & Pianist Bill Carrothers both feature on this exciting new album release.