"Greg Adams' muted trumpet and intoxicating sound evokes that of Miles Davis. His own percussive style has made him a funk icon." Rolling Stone
Greg Adams' career
has included success as an arranger, composer, conductor, and performer and
earned him both Grammy and Emmy nominations and an International Broadcasting
Award from The Hollywood Radio and Television Society. It has been a musical
travelogue that has spanned nearly four decades, taking him on worldwide tours
and contributing to some of the most important recordings in pop culture.
His 1995 solo debut, Hidden Agenda, went all the way to #1 for five weeks at the
top of the Smooth Jazz charts, fueled by Adams sublime muted trumpet and a
smoldering remake of Sade's "Smooth Operator." The album received wide critical
acclaim and established him as a major architect of the emerging "smooth jazz"
sound. Greg took a break from his session schedule and released the much
anticipated 2002 follow-up album, Midnight Morning, generating two top ten
singles, "Roadhouse" and "Sup with That." Adams' third solo project FireFly,
released in 2004, was among the top 100 honored at NAC radio in 2005.
Legendary for the horn arrangements that created the signature sound and have
made Tower of Power one of the most enduring musical entities today, Adams is a
founding member of Tower of Power recording fourteen albums with the group on
four major labels and millions in record sales. Greg has arranged for, performed
and recorded with countless artists as diverse as his career, including The
Eurythmics, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Lyle Lovett, Phish, Linda Ronstadt, Luther
Vandross, Little Feat, Aaron Neville, Santana, Everclear, Quincy Jones, Huey
Lewis and the News, Wilson Pickett, Heart, Josh Groban, Bonnie Raitt, Dionne
Warwick, Madonna and The Rolling Stones.
Greg has played on over five hundred recordings. You have heard Greg's
collaboration with Paul Shaffer on the opening theme of Late Show With David
Letterman and on musical score arrangements in such films as Duets, Mask, Top
Gun, Saving Silverman, Austin Powers In Goldmember with Smashmouth, and Little
Big League where he teams up with Stanley Clarke and on Sgt Peppers Lonely Heart
Club Band with the illustrious George Martin.
Setting no boundaries on a musical genre since he first arrived on the San
Francisco Bay Area music scene of the early '70s, here is where his soulful
sound would emerge. Adams' diversity has made him the consummate performer. He
creates an intimate relationship with audiences large and small, and has been
performing to packed houses throughout his career. Greg's muted trumpet and
sultry tone evokes that of Miles Davis and he's known to mesmerize his fans to
where you can here a pin drop, while Greg's bright percussive style gets the
audience on their feet and keeps them dancing!
Active in the music community Greg has served two terms on the Board of
Governors for the Los Angeles Chapter of The Recording Academy. Greg continues
his commitment to music education in public schools and colleges through
seminars, performances, mentoring and clinics. Most recently he was involved in
Grammy Career Day, a national outreach program that provides insight to high
school students about careers that are available in music and direction on how
to prepare for them.
Crafted by Greg's art of "lyrics without words," his trumpet-driven melodies
merge the sound of jazz, funk grooves, sophisticated riffs, sexy soul and Latin
vibes in a blend that is all so cool!