About
Adrian Cunningham is an award winning multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and world traveller. Originally from Sydney Australia and now based in New York, he is proving to be one of his country’s top exports. With fluent command of the saxophones, clarinet, and flute, he is one of the finest multi-instrumentalists in Jazz.
Since moving to NYC in 2008, Adrian has quickly risen to be one of the most in demand woodwind players on the New York jazz scene, having recorded/performed with Jazz luminaries such as Jeff Hamilton, John Clayton, Wynton Marsalis, Herlin Riley, Jon Batiste & Stay Human, Cecile Mclorin Salvant, Steve Jordan, Grammy-winner Vince Giordano and Grammy-nominated Rene Marie.
Adrian is the recipient of the Hot House Saxophone Award for 2017. Adrian regularly performs at New York’s top clubs: Birdland, Blue Note, Dizzy’s Coca Cola (Lincoln Centre) and a personal highlight was arriving at Carnegie Hall with the New York Sinfonietta Orchestra in 2017. Adrian is a proud member of Downbeat-winner Wycliffe Gordon’s ensemble The International All Stars, which has recorded 3 albums. Adrian keeps a busy touring schedule, working at festivals around the world, highlights including Montreux Jazz Festival, London Jazz Festival, Johannesburg Jazz Festival, London Jazz Festival, Snowball Swing Festival (Sweden), Swing Crash Festival (Como, Italy), and Tokyo Jazz Festival.
Adrian is an Arbors Records recording artist, and his latest CD Plays Lerner and Loewe, recorded in Manhattan with the grammy winning Fred Hersch Trio, which broke the top 20 in the national US Jazzweek Charts.
Adrian’s New Orleans band band, Professor Cunningham and His Old School, is the winner of international band competition World Jam, held each year in Madrid, Spain, and the international band competition Harlem, held in Vilnius, Lithuania.