Biography

Nick Adema is a Canadian trombonist/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. He’s a lone musical wanderer who utilizes virtuosic playing, electronic pedals, and an out of the box mentality that stores his chaotic music mentality

Nick’s main project Urban Chaos has featured a 2024 Winter Canada wide tour featuring Noah Preminger at venues such as the Yardbird Suite, Frankies, and Upstairs jazz (amongst others) and masterclasses at Capilano University, the University of Toronto, and at Longy School of Music. The CD will be releasedOctober fourth, alongside an ongoing European tour where they have (and wll play in) England, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Notable venues of the tour include Stadtgarten, Zeeland Jazz Festival, Bimhuis Cafe, B-flat Berlin, amongst others. More information on the project can be found here.

Nick is also a sideman in the Netherlands, touring the country's largest jazz venues such as North Sea Jazz, Bimhuis, Tivoli, Lanteren Venster, Den Paard and others. Nick has called a number of prominent dutch musicians for his performances, such as Tineke Postma, Reinier Baas, Ben van Gelder and Jasper Blom. 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 Best CvA Soloist (Keep an Eye International Jazz Competition), Tim O’Hara Jazz Scholarship, Music Fest Nationals: National Arts Center, Best Brass Player Scholarship , Capital Regional Music Festival: Music Care Scholarship, apital Regional Music Festival: Long and McQuade Jr. Scholarship, and the Ottawa Kiwanis Music Festival -  Ottawa Youth Orchestra Best Brass Player Award.

Nick currently has two records under his belt as a band leader entailed demiLAN and New Roots (with the Adema Manoukas Octet). Inspired by his mother, Nicholas used the Covid-19 pandemic as an opportunity to create a full length album demiLAN (released October 22nd 2021), in which he shows off his broad creativity as a writer, and creates a masterful performance. Coming on the heels of his first full-length album demiLAN, trombonist Nick Adema has teamed up with saxophonist Alex Manoukas for a new recording project with their newly formed band the Adema Manoukas Octet. These eight Toronto all-stars have been performing together in various combinations for years, providing an alternative perspective on the Canadian jazz sound.

“It is especially evident that Canadian trombonist, composer and arranger Nick Adema deserves worldwide recognition.” - Georges Tonla Briquet (Jazz Halo May 2022)

“Each of his compositions contains a myriad of ideas, gradually revealing themselves over time and yet all coming together to form a satisfying whole.” - Yoshi Wall (The Whole Note October 2021)