Brad Linde is a saxophonist, educator and bandleader living in the Washington D.C. metro area and is the curator of the jazz series at the Atlas Performing Arts Center on H Street NE.
His approach to improvising is informed by the "cool" school of Lennie Tristano, bebop pioneers Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk, and the free music of Ornette Coleman, Paul Motian, and Jimmy Giuffre. As a saxophonist, his chief influences come from Lester Young, Warne Marsh, and Lee Konitz.
Linde has performed with jazz greats such as Barry Harris, Lee Konitz, Butch Warren, Ted Brown, Eddie Bert, , Freddie Redd, Teddy Charles, and Dan Tepfer, Gretchen Parlato, and Chris Byars,. He has performed in Germany and Austria, and at the East Coast Jazz Festival, Duke Ellington Jazz Festival, D.C. Jazz Festival, The Smithsonian Institute, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Chris' Jazz Cafe in Philadelphia and Birdland, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Iridium, Miles Cafe, and Smalls Jazz Club in New York. He regularly appears at D.C. jazz clubs including Blues Alley, Bohemian Caverns, and Twins Jazz.
He leads the Brad Linde Ensemble (BLE), a 10-piece ensemble devoted to exploring and expanding the styles of jazz pioneered in the 1950s and “Sax of a Kind”, a nonet featuring 5 saxophones and rhythm section. Presenting concerts, workshops, and club dates, the ensemble performs some of the most important repertoire in jazz history alongside new pieces written specifically for the group. Most recently, Linde commissioned a multi-movement piece by Dan Tepfer to feature Lee Konitz with the ensemble.
During 2009, the BLE celebrated the anniversaries of the Miles Davis classic "Birth of the Cool" recording, "Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall" concert, and the 100th birthday of the "President of the Tenor Saxophone" Lester Young with dedicated performances and educational engagements. Guest artists have included pianist Freddie Redd, trumpeter Jim Ketch, trombonist Eddie Bert and Grachan Moncur III, saxophonists Gary Smulyan, Joel Frahm, Ted Brown and Chris Byars, bassists Ari Roland and Murray Wall, and drummer Jimmy Wormworth.
As part of the Big Band Jam 2010 and Jazz Appreciation Month, the BLE showcased NEA Jazz Master, Lee Konitz at Blues Alley in Washington DC. The evening featured the alto saxophonist on music from the "Birth of the Cool" (of which he is one of two surviving members from the original recording), big band arrangments by Mark Masters of Konitz compositions, and transcriptions for 5 saxophones and rhythm section written by Jimmy Giuffre in 1959.
The Brad Linde Ensemble has released their debut CD, "Feeling That Way Now"(Bleebop Records #0901), which includes music from the Birth of the Cool, compositions by Thelonious Monk and new arrangements and compositions by Brad Linde and Chris Byars.
In March 2009, he organized a collaboration with the legendary Freddie Redd, bringing the hardbop pianist to the East Coast for a series of performances in Washington D.C. (Twins Jazz) and New York City (Smalls Jazz Club). Each night featured transcriptions of Redd's compositions from his classic Blue Note albums of the 1960s. Performances in New York City at Birdland and Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center followed in 2010, as well as return engagements at Twins Jazz and Smalls Jazz Club.
Linde is founder and co-director (along with trumpeter Joe Herrera) of the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, a 17-piece big band in residence at the historic Washington DC jazz club. The big band made its debut in April 2010 and has been featured every Monday night at Bohemian Caverns, with additional performances at Strathmore, An Die Musik Live!, the Smithsonian Institute and the Lincoln Theatre. The BCJO is the recipient of the 2012 DC Mayor’s Arts Award for Outstanding Emerging Artist.
As a pianist, he has performed at venues including Bohemian Caverns, U-topia, Columbia Station, Twins Jazz, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and has accompanied jazz vocalist Gretchen Parlato and saxophonist Eric Alexander in masterclasses. His teachers have included Jon Metzger, Barry Harris, and Ron Elliston. He can be heard on the accompaniment CD for the improvisation text "The Art and Language of Jazz Vibes" by Jon Metzger (EPM).
Brad has maintained an active teaching career for over 10 years. He has taught applied lessons, music appreciation, music theory, jazz improvisation, jazz combo and big band at the collegiate level and was the founder and director of the University of Maryland Jazz Repertory Ensemble. He currently teaches piano, flute, clarinet and saxophone at the Del Ray Performing Arts Center in Alexandria, VA and is adjunct faculty at Northern Virginia Community College. He regularly conducts independent research of jazz scores and copyright deposits at the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institute. He is a contributor to the Oxford University Press Grove Music Dictionary and Capitalbop.com.
Linde received his M.M. in Saxophone Performance (Jazz) at the University of Maryland, College Park and holds a B.A. in Music from Elon University, where he studied with vibraphonist/composer Jon Metzger. Additonally, he has studied at UNC Chapel Hill under the direction of Jim Ketch and has studied jazz and improvisation extensively with bebop guru Barry Harris and iconic alto saxophonist Lee Konitz.
