The Team | West Grand Brass

Jordan Nadell- Sousaphone

Arguably the most famous sousaphone player to come out of Truckee, CA in the past 50 years, Jordan Nadell traded in his skis for a horn and began studying tuba performance at CSU Chico under Dr. Lloyd Roby in 2008. After some soul searching in Amsterdam, he wound up in the Bay Area where he obtained a B.A. in Music Composition from CSU East Bay in 2016. Jordan currently resides in Oakland with his wife and dog, where he teaches private lessons, composes, and performs in various bands.

Take a moment to meet the core roster for West Grand Brass. While these 6 musicians make up the current line-up for the West Grand Brass Band, our full roster includes a diverse list of the Bay Area's most talented horn players and percussionists, capable of meeting your needs no matter the genre.

Meet The Team

Tom Dreiman- Drums

Tom Dreiman graduated from CSUEB in December of 2016, where he studied Classical Percussion Performance and Composition with Artie Storch and Jeffery Miller, respectively. Tom regularly performs with community, semi-professional and professional orchestras around the Bay Area, including the Livermore Valley Opera and Solo Opera, Livermore-Amador Symphony, Prometheus Symphony and Oakland Civic Orchestra. Tom teaches the percussion studio and ensemble at Mt. Eden High school and gives private basic piano lessons. He also makes and repairs drums on the side.

Chris Lundeen-Trombone

A native of the Pacific Northwest, Chris studied trombone with Ross Holcombe and jazz improvisation with David Fague at Gonzaga University, where he received a minor in jazz studies. In 2015 he was honored as a "Young Giants of Jazz" featured soloist with the Spokane Jazz Orchestra, and he has toured and recorded with a multitude of West Coast ska bands. Outside of music, Chris daylights as a scientist, and holds degrees in chemistry from Gonzaga University (BS, 2015) and the University of Oregon (MS, 2016).

Noah Ortiz- Trombone

Noah has been playing the trombone for over 15 years. He received his BA in Music from Cal State East Bay, where he became close with bandmates Tom and Jordan. Along with WGBB, Noah also performs with bands Shark Punch, Day Labor, Jokes for Feelings, and has the occasional freelance gig.

Adam Borden- Trumpet

An East Bay native currently hailing from Oakland, CA, Adam, the lead (well... only) trumpet in WGBB has been playing trumpet since the 4th grade. While in school, Adam led the ACSI California honor bands in both 2002 and 2003, and spent time with the Diablo Wind Symphony and the Concord Blue Devils. His professional career began around 2008 with encouragement and direction for Steve Sage, a local legend who helped raise many Bay Area Musicians. Despite having a number of students and a busy gig schedule, in 2015, Adam graduated from UC Berkeley with a major in Rhetoric and a minor in Music. He is very excited to be a part of WGBB and is looking forward to brilliant future with a great up and coming brass band.

Matt Gafney-Saxophone

Matthew Thomas Gafney is a saxophonist, clarinetist, flautist, bandleader, and educator. With a classical foundation, degrees in jazz performance from UCLA and CSU East Bay, and a wealth of show band experience, Gafney is a well-rounded musician with passion and expertise in diverse performance settings. Upon relocating from Los Angeles to the Bay Area in 2016, Gafney studied with renowned saxophonist Dann Zinn. He currently plays alto sax, tenor sax, and EWI for local Bay Area bands: Garuda Blue, the West Grand Brass Band, and Sven and the Masterful Orchestra. In addition to his performance engagements, Gafney has a thriving private teaching studio at Ingram and Brauns Musik Shoppe in Pleasanton, CA while also coaching jazz and woodwinds at Alcalanes High School and Amador Valley High School.

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