Rooted in Cincinnati, OH, Eric Wurzelbacher is an unexpected musician out of the midwest. Described by the Jazz Journal UK as a “foot- tapping mix of hard-bop impro and rock”, Eric has worked tirelessly for years to authentically combine the conciseness of rock and the freedom of jazz.

 

Eric started making his national mark after playing at the legendary Newport Jazz Festival for the first time in 2019. As a leader and composer, he has released four albums composed of all original music. Eco Quartet (2017), Power (2018), Maya (2019), and Idle Minds (2021).

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While attending the College Conservatory of Music (Cincinnati) as a classical saxophonist, Eric was named one of the top 10 saxophonists in the nation through the United States Army Solo Competition in 2012. Through his time in college, he became fixated on composing and freely improvising with other musicians. Eric found his true calling as an artist through this realm, although the search still continues...

 

After graduating in 2015, Eric toured Europe for a number of months while playing on cruise ships. Realizing his true passion for composing and playing his own music, Eric has since been touring the country with his self- titled group.

 

Eric has been surrounded by the music business for his entire life, but not on the side that you might expect. Growing up and working in a family business that constructs stages for festivals (one of them being the Newport Jazz Festival) around the country exposed Eric to music and a way of life that he would have never experienced otherwise.

 

As a product Eric's midwest childhood spent listening to classic rock and grunge (while also purchasing a Charlie Parker CD when he was 12yrs old after being introduced by his private lessons teacher and being fascinated by the sound), his music and playing style has been described as an art form that "harnesses the intensity, power, and deliberate transitions of rock, while still remaining highly improvised in the spirit of jazz"