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Nick Adema is a Canadian trombonist (MA)/composer currently based in Amsterdam Nick is a Rath Trombones artist.

Exploring the plurality of sonic environments is Nick Adema’s forte. Using the modest nature of the slide to express his musical vigour, Nick is one of the most versatile trombonists coming out of Canada. Hailing from the nation's capital Ottawa, Nick quickly came onto the scene as a curious mind who embraced spontaneity and playfulness in his music. Nick is a musical wanderer, bringing his music on a 2024 January Canadian Tour featuring Noah Preminger to eight of Canada’s largest cities. Whilst in the Netherlands, Nick has been able to perform alongside a number of musicians including Ben van Gelder, and Reinier Baas in his Adema Adds concert series, and on several occasions with Tineke Postma. In addition to touring Canada, Nick Adema’s Urban Chaos has a Spring/Summer 2024 tour that visits Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Zeeland, Berlin, and Cologne. On October 4th Nick will release his upcoming album Urban Chaos with a Dutch Tour featuring Jasper Blom. Nick is also a sideman in the Netherlands, touring the country's largest jazz venues such as North Sea Jazz, Bimhuis, Lanteren Venster, Den Paard and others. Whilst in his studies in Amsterdam and in Toronto, Nick has been the recipient of a number of awards during his studies in Amsterdam and Toronto, such as the Keep an Eye International Jazz Competition Best CvA Soloist, the Holland Scholarship, the Albert and Wilhelmine Renewable Scholarship.

Press

'A loving connection to music can transport you to a higher place,' says jazzman Nick Adema

The Amsterdam-based, Ottawa-raised jazz trombonist is touring Canada with his band in January 2024.

Written by Peter Hum, Ottawa Citizen, Jan 6.

It takes an especially hardy jazz musician to tour Canada in the depths of January, criss-crossing the 4,500 kilometres between Vancouver and Montreal to bring original, improvisation-rich music to the people. But trombonist Nick Adema says he’s feeling energized and inspired in advance of pulling off his most ambitious project to date.

The Ottawa-raised trombonist, 24, is based in Amsterdam, where he pursued his graduate degree in jazz. But he’ll be bringing several classmates to Canada starting Jan. 11, and supplementing his group with the brilliant New York saxophonist Noah Preminger.

Below, Adema, who will play two hometown shows near the end of his tour which moves from west to east, discusses his musical origin story and his artistic development and priorities.

LINK to full write up

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demiLAN - The Whole Note

Yoshi Wall - October 28th 2021

Toronto-based composer/trombonist Nick Adema’s latest offering is teeming with originality and confidence from front to back. Everything from the writing to the execution feels like the product of an artist who is conscious of their identity. 

One aspect that immediately jumps out is Adema’s astounding attention to detail. Each of his compositions contains a myriad of ideas, gradually revealing themselves over time and yet all coming together to form a satisfying whole. His melodies are intuitive enough to feel eerily familiar and yet elaborate enough to make anybody’s head spin. Much like the greats, Adema’s writing possesses immense beauty while also managing to zig where others would normally zag. Another trait of his that resembles top all-time composer/bandleaders is the rare ability to make full usage of his whole group. The effects of this tendency particularly shine through the kinetic rhythm section during the final climactic minutes of Rise, and the three-man-weave in the horn section of demiLAN. 

Due to the nature of Adema’s bandleading, along with the sheer talent he assembled, the most memorable moments on the album consist of celestial synergy between musicians. One definitive instance was the combination of lyricist/vocalist Alyssa Giammaria’s deeply poignant prose and the reassuring warmth of bassist Evan Gratham’s tone on the intro of the stunning Lament for the Future to Come. Ultimately, it is due to Adema’s knack for working with these parts that the whole far exceeds the sum.

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Adema/Manoukas Octet “New Roots” - Jazz Halo

Georges Tonla Briquet - May 2022

After the extremely successful demiLAN, trombonist Nick Adema and baritone saxophonist Alex Manoukas perform a new octet. Dynamics and connection with tradition are maintained. A strong introduction with crooner big band swing based on Dizzy Gillespie’s Tour De Force and ditto solos by double bass, baritone and altosaxophone. It is even more energetic in Runnin and In The Weeds. Pure big band bop. And again very strong solos. In the title track, band leaders Adema and Manoukas enrich the spicy fuel. Eastern Avenue can be used for scenes in a film noir. In the lead role this time double bass and trombone. They even venture into Round Midnight. With success thanks to the arrangement by Adema and the contribution of alto saxophonist Brenon Parmar. They transform another Monk composition (Reflections) into a melodic mid-tempo swing while they show themselves from a more experimental side in Three Step Deal. It is especially evident that Canadian trombonist, composer and arranger Nick Adema deserves worldwide recognition deserves worldwide recognition.