5 nights a week, 5 hours a night. On graduating from high school, Brian

moved to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music where he studied all

aspects of music, arranging, composition, orchestration and performance.

In his teens at Berklee, Brian began working with several faculty

ensembles. At this time, he also worked in the New England area with the

Brubeck Brothers and jazz guitarist Mike Stern. Brian has performed

throughout the east coast, Midwest as well as Florida. He has recorded

many record/cd projects as a leader and sideman in various musical styles.

Brian has won two awards from Billboard Magazine for composition. He has

also worked cruise ships, off-Broadway shows, concerts, nightclubs, and

radio shows. Brian earned respect in every jazz community he has lived:

Boston, New York, Florida, Chicago (Brian lived and worked there for 10

years) and Northeast Indiana. Some musicians Brian has worked are Stephen

Stills (Crosby, Stills and Nash), Joe Beck (Jazz Guitarist), Jay McShann

(Changed jazz history by hiring Charlie Parker for his first professional

gigs in New York City) Pat Metheny and Peter Erskine (Performed benefit

for Jaco Pastorius in 1987). He has also played concerts with the Fort

Wayne Philharmonic performing with Neil Sedaka, the Fifth Dimension and

the Platters. Currently Brian is teaching private electric bass lessons,

jazz harmony/theory and improvisation, composing orchestral music and

performing. He also has many cd's available on the internet and videos on

YouTube that have well over 50,000 plays. While jazz is at the heart of

whom Brian Derek is musically, he also performs Latin, Reggae, World

Fusion, Afro Pop, Funk and about any style of music.