Symbiosis Quartet on tour! Get Jazz-ish at Wild Eye Pub
Schedule
Mon, 19 Jan, 2026 at 06:30 pm
UTC-08:00Location
535 Mill St, Grass Valley, CA, United States, California 95945 | Grass Valley, CA
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Come hear the jazz-ish adventure of Darren Johnston, Adam Shulman, Sam Trapchak, and Tim Bulkley! These longtime friends reunite as Symbiosis Quartet for a string of shows on the West Coast, including the Wild Eye Pub in Grass Valley. Symbiosis Quartet is:
Darren Johnston - trumpet
Adam Shulman - piano
Sam Trapchak - bass
Tim Bulkley - drums
This group of musicians is connected in many ways from many places. Tim & Adam met in the late 90s & played in a band in Santa Cruz Area. Both eventually moved to San Francisco, playing together & with many others. Adam stayed, firmly planting himself there as a major player, composer & arranger. In SF, Adam & Tim connected with Darren, who played in several overlapping groups, including the Marcus Shelby Orchestra. In the mid 2000s, Tim moved to NY to jump in the deep end. There he met Sam & they played all kinds of gigs together in all kinds of situations. Sam is still busy as a player & composer in NY. About the time Tim decided to move back to CA, Darren moved to NY. He has flourished in a variety of settings, most recently touring with reggae band Groundation internationally. He is back in SF now, busy in a variety projects.
These connections bring together longtime friends for a string of shows on the West Coast including the Wild Eye Pub in Grass Valley.
Darren Johnston - With an affinity for music that defies easy categorization, Canada-born, Bay Area-based trumpeter/composer Darren Johnston works within jazz, purely improvised music, music of Greece and the Balkans, Jamaica (as a regular member of Groundation, contemporary classical, and more, remaining open to further suggestions.
He has worked with a broad and diverse collection of artists such as Marshal Allen, Ches Smith, Marcus Shelby, Carmen Staaf, Faye Carol, ROVA Saxophone Quartet, Anais Mitchell, Tony Malaby, Slavic Soul Party!, Myra Melford, Fred Frith, Allison Miller, Pete Escovedo, Buddy Miles, and more.
Adam Shulman - A staple of the SF Jazz scene since he moved there in 2002. Before then, Adam was a student at UC Santa Cruz where he received a degree in classical performance. While at UCSC he studied jazz piano with Smith Dobson. In addition to sideman work, Adam is a composer and arranger. He has released 4 albums of original music under his name. He has done much of the arranging work for jazz/cabaret singer Paula West.
Adam plays as a Bay Area sideman with Marcus Shelby, Anton Schwartz, Andrew Speight, Erik Jekabson, Ed Reed, Mike Olmos, Gary Brown, Patrick Wolff, John Wiitala, Vince Lateano, Faye Carol, Kellye Gray, Ian Carey, Mike Zilber, and others.
He's played sideman with international artists Stefon Harris, Willie Jones III, Dayna Stephens, Miguel Zenon, Mark Murphy, Alan Harris, Luciana Souza, Paula West, Larry Coryell, Sean Jones, Grant Stewart, John Clayton, Bobby Hutcherson, Bria Skonberg and with the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
Sam Trapchak - Bassist/composer Sam Trapchak has been active in the New York City jazz community for nearly 2 decades. He has been privileged to shared the stage with Dave Binney, Stacy Dillard, Seamus Blake, Donny McCaslin, Stacy Dillard, Ari Hoenig, Benito Gonzales and other fine musicians. When he is not playing bass or studying the music of his peers and predecessors he is hard at work composing. He is the author of nearly a hundred compositions (and thrown away nearly as many). He has 3 albums as a leader and his most recent record Flaco’s Lament was released in May 2025.
Tim Bulkley - Tim began his musical career in the Bay Area playing in a variety of projects & situations. He eventually moved to NY where he lived for over a decade immersing himself in the music & art culture. Moving back to CA with his family, he found home in Grass Valley CA. He as shared the stage with Dayna Stephens, Peter Bernstein, Julian Lage, Stacey Kent, Boz Scaggs, Wil Blades, Goh Nakamura & more.
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About Wild Eye Pub:
Family-friendly venue, with a restaurant & bar: farm-to-table foods from local & organic sources, a full bar of regional brews, wines, spirits & mocktails, and nightly entertainment in a comfy 'supper club' setting with an easy vibe.
Seating/service starts at 5:30pm, music at 6:30pm. We offer table service of food & drinks before & during the event, in our lovely listening space.
IMPORTANT: We *really* appreciate reservations, to help us plan for each show. For busy dinner shows, reserved guests get priority seating & table service. Easily make reservations - just seats, or seats & table for dining - while buying your tickets or by calling or emailing, 24/7. Your table will have your name on it. A low, sliding ticket fee helps us pay & feed the artists. Thanks for supporting live artists!
PARKING: Pub has free parking. More parking is nearby at the corner of Mill & McCourtney, a 2-minute walk. Across from Pub, French Ave has parking. Carpooling is encouraged - our neighbors appreciate it.
Questions: 530-446-6668 or [email protected]
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Where is it happening?
535 Mill St, Grass Valley, CA, United States, California 95945Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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