Adam Holzman

Jazz keyboardist Adam Holzman entered the world on February 15, 1958, in New York, NY. As the son of Jac Holzman, who presided over Elektra Records at the height of its late-'60s influence, he began studying keyboards in third grade. Proximity to the label granted him firsthand observation of numerous pioneering acts and their creative processes, from attending Doors rehearsals and meeting Love to witnessing the Paul Butterfield Blues Band at peak form. The Beatles exerted a strong pull on him, as they did on many contemporaries, prompting deeper exploration that ranged from Leon Russell and Joe Cocker onward to keyboard-centric prog-rock outfits such as Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Yes. That prog immersion ultimately channeled his interests toward jazz-fusion and synthesizers, supplanting ELP with Chick Corea's Return to Forever and Herbie Hancock's trailblazing early-'70s recordings.

By the early '80s he held a position at Goodman's Music, a well-regarded Los Angeles instrument retailer, where mastery of MIDI technology and synth programming secured steady studio work. This expertise drew the notice of Miles Davis, who sought to incorporate MIDI, resulting in Holzman's 1985 entry into the trumpeter's ensemble. He remained for four years, serving as the group's musical director during the final stretch from 1988 to 1989. Afterward he collaborated on tours and recordings with Chaka Khan, Michel Petrucciani, Wayne Shorter, Kolvynator, and Kenny Garrett. In spring 1997 he entered Grover Washington Jr.'s band, and by the late '90s he was also performing in New York City alongside FM Tribe and Francis M'Bappe.

Beyond sideman duties, Holzman directed several personal ventures. With guitarist Ted Hall he helmed the Los Angeles jazz-rock outfit the Fents, which issued The Other Side on Passport Jazz in 1987. He assembled the prog-tinged Mona Lisa Overdrive, whose self-titled album appeared in 1993. Throughout the '90s he issued the solo collections In a Loud Way (1991), Overdrive (1994), and Big Picture (1997). He later established the New York-based, funk-oriented ensemble Brave New World, which delivered Worldwind in fall 1998.