Alan Munshower

Drummer Alan Munshower, recognized for both his light touch and imaginative playing, merges a sympathetic ear with an original minimalist drumset language. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Alan began pursuing the drums at the age of 10 and later moved to Baltimore to earn his B.A. in music. After graduating he quickly became one of the busiest freelance drummers based in the Baltimore/DC region. In addition to multiple international tours with original jazz groups, Alan has performed up and down the East Coast of the US. He has performed regularly in New York at venues such as The Blue Note, The Knitting Factory, and a monthly spot at the famed 55 Bar. He has shared the stage with world-class improvisers Susan Alcorn, Steve Swell, Anthony Pirog, Perry Robinson, Dave Ballou, Jake K. Leckie, Patrick McAvinue, Wendell Patrick, and John Dierker. His duet project with pianist Nobu Stowe has an album on the Soul Note label, where they are joined by tabla master, and Miles Davis alumnus, Badal Roy. As a modern dance accompanist, Alan was an adjunct faculty member at Towson University, Goucher College, and Community College of Baltimore County from 2007 to 2015. He has collaborated with choreographers Larry Keigwin, Seán Curran, Jon Lehrer, and members of Riverdance. More recently, Alan was a member of trumpeter Jaimie Branch's group, Bombshelter, and also an original member of the Baltimore improvised-music collective, Out of Your Head.

Alan started gigging on double bass in 2007, and has found a musical persona on the instrument that is nimble and reactive with a big acoustic tone. As a founding member of Dixieland outfit, Sac Au Lait, Alan moved from the drums to the bass chair. This group became a stalwart of Baltimore scene, and was hailed as “Baltimore’s finest in dixieland” by the Baltimore Citypaper. Other notable performances on bass include a group with saxophonist Aurora Nealand, and a recent stint with the Ole Miss faculty jazz ensemble. He now co-leads and plays bass in the old-timey jazz quartet Fats Holler.

Alan currently lives in Southwest Virginia, and freelances on drums and bass. He is an Archivist and Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech. 

Contact Alan: alan.munshower@gmail.com