Ryan Brake

Raised in Tauranga, Aotearoa New Zealand, guitarist and composer Ryan Brake weaves intricate, evocative jazz that reflects his deep connection to his homeland and its vibrant musical heritage.

Now based back in Tauranga after over a decade in Wellington, Ryan's journey has taken him from the New Zealand School of Music at Victoria University of Wellington, where he earned a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) and Master of Musical Arts (MMA) in jazz composition, to a full-time teaching role. A trustee of the New Zealand Jazz Foundation, he champions educational initiatives that nurture jazz talent nationwide.

His debut album, Solipsis: Music of Ryan Brake (SkyDeck Music, 2022), features the Endeavour Jazz Orchestra alongside luminaries like Alex Sipiagin, Dick Oatts, John Riley, and John Escreet. His follow-up, Tone Clocks (SkyDeck Music, 2023), features twelve solo piano works performed by Escreet, each inspired by Tone-Clock Theory—a modern compositional framework pioneered by Peter Schat and Jenny McLeod—blending structured harmony with improvisational storytelling.

In 2022, Ryan collaborated with taonga pūoro practitioner Jo'el Komene to premiere Te Pura - The Guardian Taniwha of Wairoa at the Tauranga Jazz Festival. This groundbreaking work, performed with the Tauranga Big Band, weaves together jazz and taonga pūoro to narrate the story of Te Pura, the kaitiaki (guardian) of Wairoa Marae, exploring cultural and sonic intersections in a contemporary context.

In 2023, Ryan provided orchestrations for The Kingdom of Bling, a bold new musical by Richard Hartley and Rocky Horror Show creator Richard O'Brien, which premiered in Tauranga and toured nationally in 2024. His latest release, Favorite Daughter (SkyDeck Music, 2026), features original quintet compositions with an all-star band including Dave Lisik, Jacam Manricks, and a dynamic rhythm section of Dave Kikoski, Boris Kozlov, and Donald Edwards.