Adrian Varady

Born on December 8, 2001, into a Hungarian Roma family in Rimavská Sobota, Slovakia, Adrian Varady has emerged as a powerful and distinctive voice in contemporary jazz. Raised in a deeply musical environment, his artistic journey began at the age of eight when his father gifted him a keyboard. While this marked his first step into music, it was the drums that soon became his true voice.

Largely self-taught and driven by curiosity and instinct, Adrian developed his craft on a small blue sparkle drum kit, immersing himself in listening, imitation, and experimentation from an early age. His exceptional musical awareness quickly became evident, and at just nine years old, he won his first concert performance at a jazz festival in Frankfurt — an early sign of the remarkable path ahead.

In 2013, Adrian made his international debut at the 47th Montreux Jazz Festival, where his performance drew praise from Quincy Jones, who highlighted his sensitivity, musical intelligence, and natural feel for accent and interaction. This appearance marked the beginning of Adrian’s international career.

International Performance Career

Adrian has since toured extensively across Europe and the United States as a member of the Varady Trio, alongside his brothers Andreas Varady (guitar) and Bandi Varady (bass). The trio has performed at some of the world’s most respected jazz venues and festivals, including:

Blue Note Jazz Club, New York

Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, London

Porgy & Bess, Vienna

Jazz à Vienne, France

North Sea Jazz Festival, Rotterdam

Riga Ritmi Festival, Latvia

Duc des Lombards, Paris

PizzaExpress Jazz Club, London

Vienna Jazz Festival

Bratislava Jazz Days

Career highlights include opening performances for George Benson at San Javier Festival (Spain) and Wolf Trap in Washington, D.C., as well as opening for Gregory Porter at CitySounds in Bratislava.

Beyond the trio format, Adrian has appeared at major international festivals such as the Montreal International Jazz Festival, St. Moritz Festival da Jazz, Dublin Jazz Festival, Sligo Jazz Festival, and Festival des Enfants du Jazz, among many others.

Collaborations

Throughout his career, Adrian has collaborated with a wide range of internationally acclaimed artists, including:

Jean Toussaint, Terell Stafford, Torsten Goods, John Stowell, Danny Grissett, Doug Weiss, Scott Colley, Patti Austin, Dirty Loops, Alfredo Rodriguez, Justin Kauflin, Nikki Yanofsky, Emily Bear, Paulinho da Costa, Benito Gonzalez, Radovan Tariška, Big Chief Donald Harrison, John Robinson, Henry Cole, Jonathan Blake, Michael Rodriguez, Dezron Douglas, Ben Tiberio, Alan Bartus, Maja Jaku, Renato Chico, Gregory Porter, George Benson, and many others.

These collaborations have shaped Adrian’s musical identity, deepening his understanding of groove, interaction, form, and emotional storytelling.

Recording Career & Discography

In addition to his live performance career, Adrian has contributed to several notable recordings.

The Quest – Andreas Varady (Resonance Records, 2018)

Produced by Quincy Jones Productions

Featuring Benito Gonzalez (piano), Radovan Tariška (saxophone), Bandi Varady (bass), and Adrian Varady (drums)

Sunrise – Andreas Varady (Quinton Records, 2024)

Featuring Danny Grissett (piano), Doug Weiss (bass), Bernard Wiesinger (saxophone), and Adrian Varady (drums)

Blessed & Bewitched – Maja Jaku (Origin Records, 2025)

Recorded at Bunker Studios, New York

Adrian Varady appears as drummer, percussionist, composer, arranger, and conductor, sharing drumming duties with Jonathan Blake, alongside Dezron Douglas (bass), Michael Rodriguez (trumpet), and Alan Bartus (piano)

Adrian is currently preparing his first release as a leader.

Recognition & Mentorship

Adrian is a former Quincy Jones Global Gumbo Artist (2013–2019) and was featured as an artist in Modern Drummer Magazine in 2018. He has been associated with Qwest Records and Resonance Records, further establishing his presence within the international jazz community.

Key mentors in his development include Maja Jaku and the late drummer Howard Curtis, both of whom played significant roles in shaping his musical direction, discipline, and artistic integrity.

Prominent figures have consistently recognized Adrian’s talent:

Adrian is an incredible drummer — highly interactive, with remarkable veracity.”— Bill Milkowski

“He has big ears. I would really like to work with this guy. He is going to be a big power in the music.”— Howard Curtis

“He’s already a monster on the drums — and one of the nicest, most humble cats.”— Zev Feldman

“He is the biggest talent I have ever seen and will become one of the biggest musicians of this generation.”— Maja Jaku

Quincy Jones on Adrian Varady: “I can’t wait to see him when he gets a few more years so he gets his height up so he can really see over the drums, y’know? Because he’s so little—but he’s so good, y’know? Catches every accent they play so subtle—and that’s what a drummer’s built for.”

Education, Workshops & Artistic Development

While Adrian’s path has been rooted primarily in professional performance, his artistic education has been shaped through workshops, masterclasses, and real-world ensemble experience, including:

Workshop with John Stowell & Mick Lee (2023)

Workshop with Wolfgang Muthspiel Trio featuring Scott Colley and Jorge Rossy (2024)

Workshop / Masterclass with Quincy Jones Big Band, Montreal, Canada (2014)

Current Activity

Now based in Vienna, Austria, Adrian Varady remains deeply engaged in the local and international jazz scenes as a drummer, composer, singer, arranger, producer, manager, and educator. His work continues to push boundaries while staying rooted in groove, storytelling, and deep musical listening.

Through performance, recording, and teaching, Adrian is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of musicians to find their own authentic voice