Matt Dwonszyk Quintet

Matt Dwonszyk is an accomplished bassist, composer, arranger and educator from Rocky Hill, CT. He graduated from the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz studying under his mentor and world-renowned bassist, Nat Reeves and then went on to receive his Masters degree from SUNY Purchase College. Dwonszyk lived in New York City from 2015-2020 and got his start at Smalls performing with drummer Jonathan Barber. Dwonszyk returned back home to Connecticut during the 2020 pandemic but moved back to NY in 2023. He performs frequently throughout New England, splitting his time between performing and teaching. Throughout his career, Dwonszyk has performed and recorded with numerous contemporaries as well as legendary jazz artists including Steve Davis, Bennie Wallace, Harold Mabern, Larry Willis, George Cables, Dr. Eddie Henderson, Jazzmeia Horn, Joey Alexander among many others. He currently plays bass with Jonathan Barber and Vision Ahead, The Jon Davis Trio, Sarah Hanahan Quartet and the Julieta Eugenio Trio. With the Julieta Eugenio Trio, Dwonszyk won the 2022 DC JazzPrix Competition at the Washington, DC Jazz Festival. June of 2024, Dwonszyk toured through Europe with Jonathan Barber and Vision Ahead performing in Paris France, Muri Switzerland and at London’s illustrious jazz club, Ronnie Scotts. His last tour was through Mexico with the Joe Farnsworth Quartet featuring Emmet Cohen and Sarah Hanahan. He frequently performs at some of the top jazz clubs in New York City including Smalls Jazz Club, Mezzrow, Ornithology, Dizzy's Coca Cola Club, Smoke and The Blue Note. Since 2019, Dwonszyk has been a faculty member of Manchester Community College and Central Connecticut State College teaching jazz bass and jazz history. He also teaches at the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz located at University of Hartford. In the summer, he teaches at Bennie Wallace’s Back Country Jazz Program and Litchfield Jazz Camp. Dwonszyk's debut recording, "Wonderful World", was released May of 2019 featuring trombonist Steve Davis. His second album, "A Year and a Day", was released July 1st, 2022 featuring Dwonszyk’s band, the Dwonztet. In 2024, the Dwonztet performed at the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, Hartford Jazz Festival and the Springfield Jazz and Roots Festival. Dwonszyk performs at Smalls and Mezzrow Jazz Club frequelty as a sideman with Jonathan Barber, Jon Davis, Julieta Eugenio and Sarah Hanahan. He also occasianlly leads his own group. This artist does not have a bio yet. Brian Simontacchi is the rare musician with one foot in the past and one in the future. Brian graduated from the Hartt School of Music in 2014 after studying with trombone luminary Steve Davis. Since then, he has worked for Frank Lacy, Josh Evans, Tyler Mitchell, Valery Ponomarev, Allen Lowe, Winard Harper, Captain Black Big Band, Mark Johnson, Fabio Morgera, Julius Tolentino, Lance Bryant and Shout, Eric Wyatt, The Makanda Project, Jonathan Barber, Matt Dwonszyk, Kendrick Oliver & The New Life Jazz Orchestra, and more. In 2013, he recorded on Allen Lowe’s project “Man with Guitar: Where’s Robert Johnson?” featuring Gary Bartz. In 2026, he performed at the Music of Now Festival with Tyler Mitchell’s group, featuring Marshall Allen. This artist does not have a bio yet. Born in Toronto, Adam Arruda has been surrounded by music from a very early age, growing up in a musical family. Adam began playing the drums at the age of 3, and began studying music via the ORFF method at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto at 5 years of age. Later that year Adam began taking drum lessons with Steve Mancuso and playing in Jazz combos at the Humber College Community Music School, led by Cathy Mitro. By his teenage years he was already actively working on the local scene, and began leading his own combo at Humber. Adam received the prestigious Zildjian Outstanding Young Drummer and Combo Drummer Award from 2001-2008 at Music Fest Canada, as well as other honorary awards, and played in the Yamaha All Star Band from freshman year until senior year while he attended Claude Watson School for the Arts. At Claude Watson, Adam gained experience playing in Symphonic Band and delved even deeper in his studies. While in high school, he played in the Jazz FM Youth All Star Band every Saturday, in his senior year. He also attended the Brubeck Summer Jazz Colony in 2006 and 2007, the Vail Summer Jazz program, the School for Improvised Music, the Creative Music Workshop and other workshops in the U.S.A and Canada. In 2007 Adam was invited to the Grammy Awards to perform with the Gibson/Baldwin Grammy Jazz Big Band, and was chosen to study at the University of the Pacific for one year as a Brubeck Institute Fellow along with four others in 2008 under Joe Gilman on full scholarship. At the Brubeck Institute, Adam had the privilege of studying with Joe Gilman, Taylor Eigsti, Jeff Ballard, Geoffrey Keezer, Ray Drummond, Yosvanny Terry, and many others and got a chance to play Jazz Festivals across the U.S, such as Detroit with greats like Christian McBride. The ‘08/’09 Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet received Downbeat Magazine’s Best College Combo twice. Shortly thereafter, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston until 2013 on scholarship, where he studied with Terri Lyne Carrington, Ralph Peterson Jr., Neal Smith, Jamey Haddad, Alain Mallet, Dave Santoro, Darren Barrett, Hal Crook, Jim Odgrin, Lennie Nelson and many others. Now residing in Brooklyn, New York, Adam is among the most sought-after drummers in the music world and has had the privilege of working with such artists as Greg Osby, 3WI, Dayna Stephens, Gilad Hekselman, Sam Yahel, Simona Premazzi, Joshua Crumbly, Nick Hempton, Orlando le Fleming, Glenn Zaleski, Tomoko Omura, Kevin Eubanks, Romain Collin, Luques Curtis, Florian Hoefner, Todd Bashore, James Moody, Phil Woods, Tom Scott, Orrin Evans, Godwin Louis, Nick Hempton, Randy Ingram, Alice Ricciardi, Yasushi Nakamura, Jeremy Pelt, Will Vinson, Corcoran Holt, Bill McHenry, Philip Harper, Erena Terakubo, Jason Palmer, Billy Buss, Sarah McKenzie, Ralph Alessi, Sean Wayland, Matt Marantz, Jonathan Kreisberg, Yotam Silberstein and many more. Adam has performed at the 2007 Grammy Awards, 2004 North Sea Jazz Festival, Detroit Jazz Festival, Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival, Brubeck Jazz Festival, D.C Jazz Festival, The Kennedy Center, Leuven Jazz Festival, Blues Alley, The California Hall Of Fame, Wally’s Jazz Club, The Green Mill, Bohemian Caverns, The Rex Jazz and Blues Bar, The Cellar, Smalls Jazz Club, Minton’s , Fat Cat, Jazz Standard, The Jazz Gallery, National Arts Center, Smoke, Yoshi’s, Jimmy Mak’s and many more venues and festivals. Aside from performing, Adam also teaches private lessons and ensemble playing to all ages. Adam is also a proud endorser of Canopus Drums and Vic Firth drumsticks.