In the history of jazz, piano and drums have always lived on opposite sides of the bandstand. A handful of musicians have been credible on both. Jack DeJohnette recorded two piano albums across a sixty-year drumming career, but piano was an occasional detour, not a regular part of his performing life. No one in jazz has ever performed regularly on both instruments. No one has built a band around the walk from one to the other. No one has made the empty seat part of the music.

Julius Rodriguez will be the first. Two trios. One stage. One leader who anchors both from different instruments. When he's sitting at the piano bench, there is no one on the drum throne. When he's sitting on the drum throne, there is no one at the piano bench. The bassist holds the center. A horn or guitar completes each configuration. And the moment Julius gets up from the bench and walks to the throne, the music transforms entirely.

Two distinct sonic identities. One lyrical and harmonic, the other rhythmic and propulsive. Delivered by the same artist in the same evening, with a built-in dramatic arc that no other act on the circuit can offer a promoter, a venue, or an audience.

The Group

Julius Rodriguez, Andrew Renfroe, and Brandon Rose are all based in Los Angeles. All three are bandleaders in their own right. And all three have been playing together across multiple projects and stages long before this concept had a name.

Renfroe is a Juilliard-trained guitarist from Jupiter, Florida, whose sound pulls from Delta blues, West African music, and the jazz tradition in equal measure. A graduate of the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz and a 2013 selectee for Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead at the Kennedy Center, he has released two albums as a leader and built a reputation as a first-call sideman for artists including Carmen Lundy, Braxton Cook, Keyon Harrold, Tia Fuller, and Ben Williams. His playing has been described as rootsier and more blues-based than what is common in today's young jazz guitar field.

Rose is a Detroit-raised bassist mentored by Marcus Miller and Rodney Whitaker, who started playing in the church at five years old and earned both a bachelor's and master's degree in Jazz Studies from Michigan State. A masterful doubler on electric and upright bass, he has toured and recorded with Lukas Graham, Patrice Rushen, Terri Lyne Carrington, Keyon Harrold, and Dan Wilson. His own music as a producer and vocalist blends jazz, gospel, R&B, and hip-hop into something that carries the full weight of his Detroit and Motown roots.

Andrew Renfroe

Guitar

Brandon Rose

Bass

This is a working group of young musicians with shared history and shared language. The chemistry already exists. From the Bench to the Throne is where they take it next.

What You're Booking

A single evening with two distinct trios. Both instruments are on stage for the full performance. When Julius is at the piano bench, the audience sees an empty drum throne. When he's on the drum throne, they see an empty piano bench. The transition between the two is part of the experience.

The bassist and guitarist remain constant. The sonic identity shifts entirely based on which instrument Julius occupies. Presenters can book this as a single set with the transition built into the arc, or as two sets with each trio getting its own full statement.

The footprint is small. Three musicians. Standard piano, drum kit, and guitar amp. No elaborate production. The concept carries the evening.

The Artist

Julius Rodriguez is a Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist and composer from White Plains, New York. He plays piano, drums, bass guitar, and guitar. He started performing at age 11 in West Village jazz clubs, trained at Manhattan School of Music and Juilliard, and has recorded two albums on Verve Records: Let Sound Tell All (2022) and Evergreen (2024). His NPR Tiny Desk Concert has been viewed millions of times. The New York Times has profiled him. He has toured and recorded with Meshell Ndegeocello, Chris Botti, Kurt Elling, Carmen Lundy, A$AP Rocky, and Lianne La Havas.

Julius has performed professionally on piano and drums since his teens, and he leads his own groups from either chair. From the Bench to the Throne is the natural expression of an artist who has been living in both worlds his entire career.

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