Buffalo Music: Duo has been putting jazz on record

On August 20, 2025, jazz musicians Adam Bronstein and Ellen Pieroni brought their music and insights for a dynamic session of “In the Flamingo Lounge with Rockabilly Greg.”

ADAM BRONSTEIN

Adam Bronstein is a guitar player from Buffalo, NY known for his clever songwriting and playful improvisation. Focusing on guitar at the forefront of its sound, his music is instrumental with influences ranging from bebop through fusion, soul-jazz & psychedelia.

Adam has released 3 studio albums in the past two years: Intention/Invention (Nov 2022), ABtrio (Dec. 2023); & most recently Jazz ≠ Jazz (Aug 2024) as well as a live release “Live at Black Dots” (Feb 2024).

Between touring with Louis Prima Jr & The Witnesses, as well as the soul jazz quintet Ellen Pieroni and The Encyclopedia of Soul, Adam has taken his trio (aptly named ABtrio) on four separate independent tours across the Northeast and midwest United States..

ABtrio has played – The Bop Stop (Cleveland, OH), Ginger Rabbit (Columbus, OH), UrbanBeat (Lansing, MI), BLU+ Jazz (Akron, OH), Blue (Portland, ME), The Lilypad (Cambridge, MA), Williamsburg Music Center (Brooklyn, NY); and played at the 2023 Northwest Jazz Festival, The 2024 Erie Blues and Jazz Festival and featured throughout the 2024 music series at AKG Museum.

Adam was nominated “BEST JAZZ GUITARIST” and ABtrio nominated “BEST JAZZ RELEASE” in the 2024 Jazz Buffalo Readers Poll and Adam has shared bills with Samara Joy, Pasquale Grasso, Charlie Balentine, Ghost Note, Paris Monster, Lespecial & more. For more information on Adam, check out his website: AdamBronsteinMusic.com or on Facebook

ELLEN PIERONI

Ellen Pieroni is a soul jazz saxophone player and multi-instrumentalist from Buffalo, NY. She has been playing the saxophone since she was 8 years old, and has been a sidewoman in a multitude of bands (including Folkfaces and Buffalo Afrobeat Orchestra) for over a decade.

Pieroni’s smooth-infused soul jazz band Ellen Pieroni & the Encyclopedia of Soul, or EoS, was recently featured on NPR’s All Things Considered as one of three “jazz stand outs” for this year’s Tiny Desk Contest, where Felix Contreras said that “soul jazz is alive and well with… Ellen Pieroni & the Encyclopedia of Soul.” Although the group is inspired by artists such as Grover Washington Jr., King Curtis, and the Crusaders, EoS puts an emphasis on new original music. The sound is driven by Pieroni’s captivating and soulful melodies, supported by thoughtful improvisation from all members over deep pocket grooves.

“When [Ellen] takes her solo, it really warms my heart because I hear the same soulfulness of Cannonball, or any of the sax players who played with Ray Charles back in the 50s, or the more contemporary alto saxophonist David Sanborn.”

— Felix Contreras, NPR’s
All Things Considered

Sparked by a mutual love of the band Stuff, The Encyclopedia of Soul was founded in 2022. The band’s first recording, I Know That’s Right (Live at The Beat Barn)
, featured local legend Darryl Washington (brother of Grover Washington, Jr.) on drums.

Pieroni has released two albums with EoS: The Encyclopedia of Soul, Vol. I (2023) and Soul Vacation
(2024). The band has played the GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance, the Rochester Lilac Festival, and the Erie Jazz and Blues Festival. EoS has shared the stage with Bernard Purdie, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, BoomBox, and Sophistafunk; and Ellen recently had a reel of hers shared by Vulfpeck with the caption “800 grit sandpaper… smooth.”

In addition to her music career, Pieroni is a music educator, teaching full time for 9+ years in the Buffalo Public School district, 8+ years as jazz band director at Bristol Hills Music Camp, and 3+ years at the Community Music School. She is also a promoter of local music with her company, Lavender Haze Collective. You can find out more at LavenderHazeCollective.com or on Facebook

Greg Hennessey’s “In the Flamingo Lounge with Rockabilly Greg” podcast is must listen content for fans of Western New York music. Hennessey just started his sixth season of podcasts, and he’s got over 100 episodes in his archives at https://rockabillygreg.com.

New episodes are available at 9 a.m. EST each Saturday at RockabillyGreg.com. Each posting includes a link to the podcast, website, and social media links, images, and other interesting tidbits about the week’s guest(s).