Guitarist Brian Kooken hails originally from Arlington, Virginia, born in the 60s; in fact, he shares a birthday with the famed jazz guitar hero Wes Montgomery and Rock hero Pink Floyd’s David Gilmore.
Kooken’s musical exploration began at the tender age of eleven when his father taught him how to play. This fertile ground of youth grew into formal studies at Prince Georges Community College in Largo, Maryland with Fred Karnes Composer for National Geographic, the late great songstress, Eva Cassidy was a classmate at PGCC. In 1985 Kooken pursued his BA degree in Jazz/Commercial Performance on guitar. Graduating from Towson University in 1987.

Kooken had the esteemed pleasure of playing with the 1986 TSU Jazz Ensemble recording directed by Hank Levy. The 2014 movie Whiplash had the music of Hank Levy. Kooken regularly played, toured, and recorded with gospel singer William Becton from 1995 to 1998.
With the esteemed pleasure in 1997 to perform on TV for the Stellar Awards Gospel music show playing “Show Me How to Love Again.”

Kooken is a versatile stylist. from 2005 to 2008, he toured with Marva Wright, the Blues Queeen of New Orleans. Kooken recalls, “I met Marva when she moved to Maryland as a result of hurricane Katrina. She had lost her house”. Hammond Organist Greg Hatza and Kooken played in the rhythm for Wright and the two have been playing together ever since. In fact, Kooken can be heard on Hatza’s release Digging Up My Roots released on GHO Recording in 2016. 

Now in 2020, Kooken Steps forward with his own leader realease BK Trio, Hit It, featuring Kooken on guitar, Greg Hatza on Hammond B3 organ, and Robert Shahid on drums. Todd Barkan NEA Jazz Master, owner of Keystone Korner in Baltimore, MD, recommends, “Brian Kooken is most definitely a major voice in modern jazz guitar, telling a unique and compelling story with each and every solo.”