bio
New York native Adam Cordero is a saxophonist, composer, educator, environmentalist, and multi-instrumentalist based in Queens, New York. His dedication to music has led him to play at the most established jazz venues in the NYC area such as The Jazz Gallery, Smalls Jazz Club, Roulette Intermedium, Bar Next Door, and Williamsburg Music Center. Adam has also performed internationally for a week-long engagement at the Bern Jazz Festival, held in Switzerland. Adam’s quintet, “Arcadia” strives to unite people in the
need to preserve our environment. "Arcadia" holds a yearly benefit concert— their most recent benefit event on December 22nd, 2022 was held as a streamable concert, and it raised hundreds of dollars for Eden Reforestation Projects. In 2022, Adam's career as a bassoonist led him to collaborate with avant-garde jazz legend & Pulitzer Prize winner, Henry Threadgill for his multimedia project "The Other One" which was performed/recorded live at Roulette Intermedium and released as an album in 2023. Adam has shared the stage with other incredible artists such as Morgan Guerin, Alfredo Colon, Ingrid Jensen, David Virelles, and Tyshawn Sorey. Adam was named a National YoungArts Foundation Winner in 2018 and in 2019, he performed and was broadcasted on the East Coast's premier jazz radio station, WBGO. In addition to playing saxophones & bassoon primarily, Adam also plays clarinet, bass clarinet, and flute.
Growing up in Roslyn Heights, NY, Adam was often captivated by the simple beauties of nature he was surrounded by. In the past few years, his fascination with the natural world began to entangle itself with his artistry. While Adam’s music explores a crossing of different genres & modern jazz, his compositional process is most inspired by nature. Whether it be hearing a bird call or staring in awe at a tree, Adam uses nature as a catalyst for writing compositions. He hopes his duo project with Odin Scherer and his quintet, “Arcadia” will inspire listeners to consider their relationship with nature & climate change.
Adam holds a BFA degree with high honors from The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. Adam currently teaches his own studio of students privately, in addition to being an adjunct faculty member at The New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music. As well as establishing a career as an artist & educator, Adam is heavily interested and involved in bringing the modern jazz community together -- he is a leading founder of the music venue Julian's NYC and very soon he will be founding an artist-run record label.
