BIOGRAPHY
Adam is a trumpet player, composer, songwriter, educator, and entrepreneur living in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He is an Edwards Instrument Co. Performing Artist and Clinician and leads the Adam Meckler Orchestra (AMO), an 18-piece big band that plays his original compositions. The AMO's release 'When the Clouds Look Like This' was listed as one of the best jazz releases of 2014 by iTunes. Their 'Magnificent Madness' album was released to critical acclaim on the legendary alt-jazz label Ropeadope Records in 2018, and featured collaborations with hip hop artists and soul singers including EMMY Award-winning rapper Toki Wright, and GRAMMY award-winning vocalist J.D. Steele. The AMO's four critically acclaimed albums showcase Meckler's penchant for both melody and groove, and his knack for potent collaborations.
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Adam has toured and/or recorded with Cory Wong, Dave Koz, Steve Cole, Youngblood Brass Band, Nooky Jones, The Hornheads (Prince), and many others. Meckler's trumpet trio Supercell explores the outer rings of explorative jazz featuring Meckler as an improviser in addition to composer/arranger. His collaborations with L.A.-based beat maker JFab have more than a quarter million streams on Spotify.
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An award-winning educator, Meckler is the Director of Jazz Studies at Michigan Technological University, and is featured as a guest artist at educational jazz festivals all over the world. Meckler is passionate about teaching jazz by ear and is frequently tapped to demonstrate his approach at music conferences and educational institutions. In 2019, Meckler founded the Workshop Brass Band as a credited ensemble at Michigan Tech that learns both traditional and modern New Orleans-style Brass Band music by ear (with no sheet music). Meckler will be designing and leading a New Orleans-style Brass Band week at Shell Lake Arts Camp in Summer of 2024 where students will learn similarly by ear.
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Adam is co-founder and CEO of Gig Boss, LLC, an app that serves as a DIY self-management tool for artists. Born of his busy career as a freelancer and bandleader, Gig Boss was designed to help musicians organize their groups, schedules, and finances. Meckler is host of the How Musicians Make It (HMMI) podcast where he breaks down the music business, and interviews artists and music industry professionals and asks them how they're making it. HMMI has more than 20,000 downloads accross all platforms.