Bio
Equally at home in both Jazz and Latin guitar styles, Brian Moran has become one of the Bay Area's more versatile and accomplished musicians. Since graduating from Berklee College of Music in 1998 (B.M., magna cum laude, Professional Music), Brian has made the San Francisco Bay Area his home, where he maintains an active performance schedule and teaching studio.
Brian began his study of the guitar in 1987, beginning with rock guitar, and later focused exclusively on Jazz for 10 years, in which time he led the Blowout Sextet, composing and performing original music and releasing the CD "The Supporting Theory" to rave reviews. Since 2001, Brian has dedicated much of his time to the study of 7 string jazz guitar, nylon 7 string guitar, Brazilian cavaquinho and bandolim, and includes Classical, Brazilian music, and Flamenco in his diverse repertoire. He has traveled to Spain and Brazil 3 times and studied in Sao Paulo, Brazil with Choro Rasgado guitarist Alessandro Penezzi, and Marco Bertaglia, author of O Violao de 7 Cordas. In Feb of 2007 and Feb of 2008, Brian attended the 3rd and 4th annual Festival Nacional do Choro in Sao Paulo state, Brasil where he studied with Mauricio Carrilho, Paulo Aragao, Luciana Rabello, Jayme Vignola, and had the great pleasure of playing in rodas (Choro jam sessions) with the top choro musicians from Rio and Sao Paulo.
Brian gave workshops at the South Bay Guitar Society's 4th, 5th and 6th annual Guitar Festivals on the subject of Brazilian choro guitar styles, and has taught a choro ensemble class and workshop at the JazzSchool in Berkeley CA. In 2011, Grupo Falso Baiano - the choro ensemble he co-founded - was awarded a grant by the San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music to help produce their second CD "Simplicidade: Live at Yoshi's".
Brian is also the lead instructor for the new instructional website StrumSchool (www.strumschool.com). The website is a free, all access website focused on teaching guitar to absolute beginners. It will feature videos, articles, blogs, etc.
Brian's instructional articles have been published in Acoustic Guitar Magazine (Dec 08, July 09, Nov 10).
Notable work includes performances with Brazilian guitarists Romero Lubambo and Ricardo Peixoto, jazz guitarists Bruce Forman and Mundell Lowe, and actor/improviser Timothy "Speed" Levitch (Waking Life,The Cruise), Jovino Santos Neto, Harvey Wainapel, Jorge Alabe, Alessandro Penezzi, Ted Falcon, and many others.
He has lent his talents as a recording artist to many projects, produced music for the openings of photographers Annie Liebowitz, Ruth Bernhard, painter Robert Bechtle, performed at the San Francisco, San Jose, and Healdburg Jazz Festivals, SFMOMA, LACMA, appeared on television and in theatre, and has composed and conducted for numerous other projects including The Alamo, and The Dallas Museum of Art. Bruce Forman calls him a "thorough musician who has spent a great deal of time assimilating the wealth of Jazz history and has found a wonderfully personal way of expressing himself".
He currently plays with Grupo Falso Baiano, Jorge Alabe and Grupo Samba Rio, Quijermá and as a leader and sideman in various other jazz, blues, and world music groups.
His discography includes:
Grupo Falso Baiano: Simplicidade: Live at Yoshi's(2011).
Grupo Falso Baiano: Viajando: Choro e Jazz(2008).
Performer. www.grupofalsobaiano.com
The Alamo audio tour(2008). Produced, arranged, recorded and performed music for audio tour. www.thealamo.org
Astralingua:Contact(2008).
Contributing performer. www.astralingua.com
Grupo Falso Baiano: Live at The Hillside Club(2006).
Performer. Self released - www.grupofalsobaiano.com
Xavier Viramontes:Printmaker(documentary film), by filmmaker Michael Fraser(2006).
Performer on soundtrack. Details at www.xaviermiramontes.com
Downtown Uproar:Downtown Uproar(2006).
Performer. Self-released - www.henryhungmusic.com
The People's Temple(play), directed by Leigh Fondakowski, premiering at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre(2005)
Performed and liscenced music for use. Details at www.berkeleyrep.org
Blowout: The Supporting Theory, Lifeforce Jazz Records(2004).
Performer, Arranger, Producer. Released by Lifeforce Jazz Records. Details at www.blowoutmusic.com
Brian Carmody Quartet, featuring vocalist Allegra Bandy(2003).
Performer. Released and liscenced to Seismicom.com.
