Drummer Brian Woodruff has performed with Bobby Watson, Marian McPartland, Rufus Reid, Gary Versace, James Spaulding, Jimmy Heath, Harvie S, Sherman Irby, Robin Eubanks, Genes and Jazz at the Kennedy Center, Peter Evans, Stacy Dillard, Ledisi, Melba Moore, and on the Today Show. 

Recently, Brian has been playing with Brenda Earle Stokes, the Takaaki Otomo Trio, the Lee Tomboulian Trio, Lauren Lee, Takeshi Asai, Elizabeth Tomboulian, the New-Trad Octet, Andrea Balducci, and Marieann Meringolo.  Since 2002, he has been the house drummer for Unity of New York, a new-thought church that holds their Sunday gatherings at Symphony Space.  Mr. Woodruff has made three recordings as a leader: “The Tarrier,” which garnered critical acclaim for Brian’s drumming and compositions.   2018’s “The Ing” with the OKB Trio (a collective trio featuring pianist Oscar Perez and bassist Kuriko Tsugawa), which received glowing reviews and stayed on the RMR jazz charts for 15 weeks, peaking at number one. A Centering Peace, a new set of Brian’s compositions written for his sextet, features Mike Rodriguez on trumpet and special guest vocalist Elisabeth Lohninger performing on three tracks with lyrics penned Mr. Woodruff.

Brian received a Bachelor of Music in Applied Percussion from the University of Connecticut and a Master’s Degree in Jazz and Commercial Music from the Manhattan School of Music.  Brian is on the faculty of the Long Island Conservatory and Brooklyn Music School and is a founding member of the Queens Jazz OverGround, currently serving as its Executive Director.