Adonis Rose!



Adonis Rose, hailed by New Orleans Magazine as a “Contemporary Jazz All Star,” is one of the most sought after drummers in jazz today.  He has played with some of the world’s most esteemed jazz artists, from nine-time Grammy winning trumpeter Wynton Marsalis to three-time Grammy winning vocalist Dianne Reeves to jazz/pop entertainer Harry Connick Jr., himself a three-time Grammy winner. Indeed, Rose’s beats reach further than the jazz world.  Adonis Rose has performed with rap group Public Enemy, soul diva Chaka Kahn and the late R&B chart-topper Gerald Levert .

Born in New Orleans, Rose was practically raised to be a drummer.  His father is a drummer and gave Adonis his first drum set when he was just 2 years old. Even before graduating from New Orleans’ Warren Easton High School, Rose was refining his skills at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) and jamming with the likes of Clyde Kerr, who headed the jazz program at the NOCCA, and Nicholas Payton, winner of the 1997 Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo.

After graduating from high school , Rose toured with trumpeter Terence Blanchard.  Rose received a four year scholarship to study at the prestigious Berklee College of Music.

Adonis Rose has released five recordings as a leader. On the Verge is his third recording on the Criss Cross label, following 1998’s Song for Donise and 1999’s The Unity. Adonis Rose and the N.O.Vaders and The Fort Worth Jazz Orchestra are his two latest recordings. Rose has toured and recorded with trumpeter Nicholas Payton, Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, pianist Ellis Marsalis, and Harry Connick Jr.  He also created and played the drum arrangement’s for Spike Lee’s HBO documentary, “When The Levees Broke: A Requiem In Four Acts.” Rose’s rhythms have been included on more than 50 recordings during the past decade. 

In 2005, Rose founded The Fort Worth Jazz Orchestra, Inc. and serves as it’s Artistic Director. In 2008, Rose won the Texas Spirit Award from Cadillac and Jazz Musician of the Year from  Fort Worth Weekly Magazine. Over the last three years, Adonis Rose has become a leader in jazz awareness, holding positions as Creative Director of Cadillac’s Jazz by the Boulevard Festival and Artist in Residence at the University of Texas at Arlington.

In 2008, Adonis Rose was chosen  by the president of UTA to be the guest speaker at the Graduation  ceremony. Adonis Rose also held a jazz series , bringing in Randy Brecker,Curtis Fuller and Jason Marsalis. He continues to educate,tour, and record with various artists including five time Grammy nominee Nnenna Freelon and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. In February 2010, Adonis Rose received a Grammy Award for his performance on the cd “Book One”  with Irvin Mayfield and The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. Adonis Rose continues to perform all over the world, and just recently performed in Hawaii for President Barack Obama