Leader Projects

Cover art featuring floating islands with lush greenery amidst a cloudy sky and a glowing sun, with the title 'Archipelago' and the names 'Brian Drevé Trio with Matt Pavolka and Jeff Davis' displayed.
Cover art featuring floating islands with lush greenery amidst a cloudy sky and a glowing sun, with the title 'Archipelago' and the names 'Brian Drevé Trio with Matt Pavolka and Jeff Davis' displayed. 

Brian Drye - Trombone & Compositions
Matt Pavolka - Bass
Jeff Davis - Drums
Album Artwork by Brandon Houghton

brian drye trio

Colorful hand-drawn illustration of an ice cream cone with multiple scoops, surrounded by musical notes, with the song title "Brian Is Drivin' You Crazy" written in black, whimsical font at the top.

brian drye’s trio love call

Brian Drye - Trombone, Compositions
Hank Roberts - Cello, Voice
Ches Smith - Congas & Percussion
Artwork by Dana Lyn
Four men standing against a white brick wall, casually dressed and engaged in conversation, some wearing sunglasses and hats.
Four men standing against a white brick wall, casually dressed and engaged in conversation, some wearing sunglasses and hats.

brian drye & Bizingas

Brian Drye - trombone, piano, synthesizer, compositions
Kirk Knuffke - cornet
Ches Smith - drums
Jonathan Goldberger - guitar
Photo by Michelle Arcila
“One of the best introductions to a new band, and a pretty new aesthetic…” Ben Ratliff – NY Times
“…A NEW GENERATION OF FEARLESS IMPROVISERS…A BOLD NEW FUTURE FOR JAZZ AND IMPROVISED MUSIC.” TROY COLLINS – All About Jazz
“A touch of R&B - hard-pounding drum beats and guitar fills that bounce from Rockabilly to Psychedelic.” Ken Waxman - The Jazz Word
“Powerful brass sounds with the raw aesthetics of art rock...a deconstructed quartet of talented musicians brought together by innovation and merry prankster energy.” - Daniel Lehner, All About Jazz
[Brian Drye’s] boisterous slush meshes perfectly with Knuffke’s sharp classical technique; contrasts elegantly with the gritty, ringing indie-rock textures of Goldberger’s guitar and Smith’s animalist but melodic attention to the beat.” Clifford Allen - Ni Kantu

Collaborator Projects

Colorful abstract painting featuring a rabbit silhouette in black with three small green monsters with big eyes attached to it, against a yellow background with red, blue, and brown spiral and circle patterns.
Colorful abstract painting featuring a rabbit silhouette in black with three small green monsters with big eyes attached to it, against a yellow background with red, blue, and brown spiral and circle patterns.

JabberClaw

Brian Drye - Trombone
Jon Arkin - Drums
Mike McGinnis - Clarinet, Bass Clarinet 
Artwork by Dana Lyn
Four men standing against a blue wall, holding musical instruments, including a trombone, clarinet, accordion, and electric guitar.

the four bags

THE FOUR BAGS are a captivating blend of astonishing tonal colors, mind-bending improvisations, and covers ranging from Schoenberg to 30’s Brazil. Their third record Live at Barbès captures them on their home turf playing to an audience of noisy hipsters, unanswered cell phones, and breaking glass.
Brian Drye - Trombone
Jacob Garchik - Accordion
Sean Moran - Guitar, Baritone Guitar
Mike McGinnis - Clarinet, Bass Clarinet 

Photo by Peter Gannushkin

Two men sitting outdoors in plastic chairs, engaging in conversation. One man is wearing a navy blue button-up shirt, jeans, and gray sneakers, while the other is dressed in a hoodie, a jacket, jeans, and brown shoes, with a blue cap. There are cans of beer in their cups, a small toy, and a ball on the grass nearby. A wooden fence is in the background.
Two men sitting outdoors in plastic chairs, engaging in conversation. One man is wearing a navy blue button-up shirt, jeans, and gray sneakers, while the other is dressed in a hoodie, a jacket, jeans, and brown shoes, with a blue cap. There are cans of beer in their cups, a small toy, and a ball on the grass nearby. A wooden fence is in the background.

oceanstate

Brian Drye - Trombone, Wurlitzer, Hammond Organ
Eric Hastings - Drums, Percussion, Hammond Organ

Photo by Meredith Hastings
In the summer of 2020, as the initial wave of the pandemic brought New York City and Broadway to a sudden, indefinite standstill, Brian Drye decamped with his young family to his childhood home in Westerly, Rhode Island.

Once there, Drye reconnected with drummer Eric Hastings. Forming a trusted "bubble" for the season, their families spent the summer sharing normal days—sunsets at Misquamicut Beach (captured beautifully on the album’s cover) and quiet nights at Hastings’ home in Providence.

But the true creative engine of that summer ignited after hours. Once the children were asleep, Drye and Hastings would retreat to The Grapevine, Hastings’ home studio, to improvise, experiment, and play. Out of those late-night, locked-down sessions of pure creative necessity, Ocean State was born—a striking capsule of friendship, isolation, and unyielding musical connection.

member & Sideman Projects

frank london’s klezmer brass all-stars
Hompulon
Mike McGinnis’s Road Trip
The Hank Roberts Sextet
Banda De Los Muertos
Peter Hess Quartet
The Erik Deustch Band
The Heavens
Petr Cancura’s Down Home
Eleanor Reissa + Frank London
Brooklyn Qwaali Party