A man with a blonde beard and hair, wearing a black shirt, leaning on a marimba, holding four mallets with grey heads, smiling at the camera against a black curtain backdrop.

SLAWSONGS

  • "The finest young percussionist to come along in many years!"

    Lionel Hampton

  • "Thanks for letting this music remain true to itself."

    Stevie Ray Vaughan

  • "Overwhelming!"

    Jim Chapin, legendary drummer and author of Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer

  • "Lots of musicians have taken the classics and reinterpreted them in modern arrangements, but Brian Slawson is on a whole other plain."

    Arts Connection, WMFE

  • "Brian's personable manner and lively, energetic playing made him an instant crowd favorite. He's a gifted musician who derives pleasure from playing his music and constantly expanding his artistic horizons."

    Danielle Grootenboer, The Ram

  • "Stunning. Captivating!"

    National Public Radio

  • "Brian Slawson is a most artistic percussionist. His technique is flawless, expressive, and he is an imaginative arranger. These performances are quite beautiful... They steal upon your senses... provide fleeting magic" ...

    WMUU Program Guide

  • "Slawson has a great sound!"

    WLOQ Radio

  • "A percussion arsenal"

    Jam Entertainment News

  • "The performance, as well as the sound of these recordings, is of a very high quality. Add this one to your collection."

    William F. Miller, Modern Percussionist

  • "Brilliant young percussionist, a unique rare recital of much merit"

    Stevens Point Journal, Wisconsin

  • "Exotic"

    Green Compact Disc Catalogue

  • "XClassics, filled with interpretations of classical pieces as well as original compositions, will have you jumping out of your seat."

    Creations Music Reviews

  • "Brian Slawson is the epitome of the modern percussionist."

    Amazon.com

  • “Brian Slawson is an extraordinary talented percussionist and arranger, and a performer with a tremendous future”

    Columbia Records Producer John Hammond

  • “Brian has reached new creative heights in percussion. This was the finest percussion performance I’ve ever seen. Such bravado!”

    William F. Ludwig, Jr.

  • “Delightful!”

    Billboard Magazine

Dive into the world of Brian Slawson

Quote by Modern Drummer saying 'Slawson is a visionary' with black and gold text on a black background.
Close-up portrait of Brian Slawson smiling against a dark background.

Brian Slawson’s journey from marimba busker to Grammy-nominated Juilliard scholar is nothing short of remarkable: discovered on the streets of New York by Mikie Harris of Columbia Records, his Sony/CBS debut Bach on Wood earned a Best New Classical Artist nomination and spent over a year on the Billboard charts. A true musical chameleon, he has shared stages and studio sessions with legends—from Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland and Itzhak Perlman to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Freddie Hubbard and Michael Shrieve—while also backing pop icons like Pat Benatar, The Mamas & Papas and Art Garfunkel. His versatility extends to Broadway tours of Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables and Barnum, headline performances at Madison Square Garden’s Disney on Ice and Radio City’s Christmas Spectacular, and high-profile TV appearances on The Tonight Show, Entertainment Tonight and NPR’s All Things Considered. As principal timpanist of the Brevard Symphony Orchestra, the voice of “Gusto the Bulldog” for Warner Bros.’ Music Expressions, and founder of award-winning Slawsongs media, Brian continues to shape the soundtracks of our culture—from over 200 iconic jingles for IBM and Coca-Cola to NASA’s choice of his Xclassics as astronaut wake-up music—solidifying his reputation as “one of the finest percussionists to come along in many years.”