Name: Symbiosis Quartet at Bird and Beckett
Start: 2026-01-17T19:30:00-08:00
Location: Bird & Beckett Books

Symbiosis Quartet
Coming from wide and far, the Symbiosis Quartet features local favorite Adam Shulman on piano, former Bay Area great, (now living the good life in Grass Valley), Tim Bulkley on drums, freshly repatriated Bay Area trumpeter Darren Johnston, and NYC bassist and composer Sam Trapchak. Focusing on the diverse composing styles from within the group, Symbiosis Quartet will groove, swing, and even rock out while thrilling, delighting, surprising and stirring both your imagination and your soul.
Darren Johnston - trumpet
With an affinity for music that defies easy categorization, Canada-born, Bay Area-based trumpeter/composer Darren Johnston works within jazz, purely improvised music, music of Greece and the Balkans, Jamaica (as a regular member of Groundation), contemporary classical, and more.
Darren has worked with a broad and diverse collection of artists such as Marshal Allen, Ches Smith, Marcus Shelby, Carmen Staaf, Faye Carol, ROVA Saxophone Quartet, Anais Mitchell, Slavic Soul Party!, Myra Melford, Fred Frith, Allison Miller, Pete Escovedo, Buddy Miles, and many more.

Adam Shulman - piano
Adam Shulman has been a staple of the San Francisco Jazz scene since he moved to the city in 2002. Before the move, Adam was a student at UC Santa Cruz where he received a degree in classical performance. While at UCSC he studied jazz piano with Smith Dobson.
Adam can also be seen as a sideman with countless bay area musicians and vocalists such as, Marcus Shelby, Anton Schwartz, Andrew Speight, Erik Jekabson, Ed Reed, Mike Olmos, Gary Brown, Patrick Wolff, John Wiitala, Vince Lateano, Faye Carol, Kellye Gray, Ian Carey, and Mike Zilber among many others.
Adam has played as a sideman with internationally renowned artists Stefon Harris, Willie Jones III, Dayna Stephens, Miguel Zenon, Mark Murphy, Alan Harris, Luciana Souza, Paula West, Larry Coryell, Sean Jones, Grant Stewart, John Clayton, Bobby Hutcherson, Bria Skonberg and with the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
In addition to his sideman work, Adam is a composer and arranger. He has released 4 albums of original music under his name. He has also done much of the arranging work for the jazz and cabaret singer Paula West.
Sam Trapchak - bass
Bassist and composer Sam Trapchak has been an active force in the New York City jazz community for nearly two decades, sharing the stage with artists such as Dave Binney, Stacy Dillard, Seamus Blake, Donny McCaslin, Rich Perry, Ari Hoenig, Benito Gonzalez, and many others. When he’s not performing or studying the work of his peers and predecessors, he’s hard at work composing—having written nearly a hundred pieces. He has released three albums as a leader, most recently Flaco’s Lament in May 2025, and for this performance he’s joined by trumpeter Darren Johnston and pianist Adam Shulman.
Tim Bulkley - drums
Tim is known for a musical, intuitive approach to drumming. He grew up taking piano lessons, taking art classes, singing in choirs & studying the drums. His professional career as a musician started early and has stayed a constant for over 25 years. He has played and recorded with artists including Dayna Stephens, Michelle Amador, Goh Nakamura, Evan Francis, Anton Schwartz, The Invisible Cities, John Lester, Postmodern Jukebox, Adam Platt, Stacey Kent, Boz Scaggs, Peter Bernstein, Telepathy, Wil Blades, Dandelion Dance Company and BodyVox Dance. Tim spent the years of 2006 - 2017 living and working in Brooklyn NY & 2000 - 2006 living and working in San Francisco CA. Both have informed and inspired how Tim plays music & makes art. Tim began making visual art in 2008 [ after a long hiatus since high school ] and has enjoyed exploring & growing there as well. He has sold works to several individuals since.