Warren Wolf (musician)

Warren Wolf, Jr.
At the Village Vanguard in 2011 with Christian McBride & "Inside Straight
Background information
Born	Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Vibraphone
Labels	Mack Avenue
Associated acts	Christian McBride & Inside Straight
Website	warrenwolfmusic.com

Warren Wolf, Jr. (born November 10, 1979) is an American jazz vibraphonist from Baltimore, Maryland.

Under the tutelage of his father, Warren Wolf, Sr., Warren began his music studies at age three, learning the vibraphone, marimba, drums, and piano. A classically trained musician, he attended the Peabody Institute's preparatory program for eight years. He attended high school at the Baltimore School for the Arts from which he graduated in 1997 and subsequently attended the Berklee College of Music, where he studied under jazz vibraphonist Dave Samuels for seven of eight semesters, the remaining semester was spent receiving instruction from vibraphonist Ed Saindon. During his time at Berklee he was an active member of Boston's jazz scene, playing the vibraphone, drums, and piano, and with his friend, trumpeter Jason Palmer he co-led a group at Wally's Cafe, the legendary Boston jazz venue, where he worked as house drummer. He graduated from Berklee in 2001 and remained active on the Boston jazz scene as a local musician. In September 2003 he became an instructor in the percussion department at Berklee, giving private lessons on the vibraphone and drums, as well as teaching a beginners' keyboard class for entering freshmen majoring in drum performance.

Since leaving Berklee in 2005 for Baltimore, Warren has been active in the international jazz scene, touring with Bobby Watson's "Live and Learn" Sextet, Karriem Riggins' "Virtuoso Experience", Donal Fox's Scarlatti Jazz Suite Project, Christian McBride & "Inside Straight", and with his own group of young musicians, 'Wolfpack'. His reputation as a gifted jazz lion is acknowledged by respected jazz critics like the New York Times's Ben Ratliff who favorably reviewed Wolf's performance of November 16, 2011 at the 92nd Street Y's 92YTribeca venue, a performance which was featured by NPR with a 60-minute video on its website.

Warren has made several recordings as a leader and a sideman. His latest effort, the eponymous “Warren Wolf” (2011) features Christian McBride on bass, Peter Martin on piano, Greg Hutchinson on drums, Tim Green on alto and soprano saxophones, and Jeremy Pelt on trumpet. Writing for the New York Daily News on October 15, 2011, Greg Thomas said of his CD "Warren Wolf": "To say that Warren Wolf's Mack Avenue debut is auspicious would be an understatement. No doubt, this is one of the best of the year in jazz." His other notable recordings as a leader are “Incredible Jazz Vibes” (2005) (featuring Mulgrew Miller on piano, Vicente Archer on bass, and Kendrick Scott on drums), and "Black Wolf" (2009) (featuring Mulgrew Miller on piano, Rodney Whitaker on bass, and Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums).