Ryan Engelbert is a
DRUMMER and songwriter
in NEW YORK CITY.

His songs and performances can bring you deep into a vividly expansive moment and get you lost in the pure joy of a powerful backbeat. Ryan somehow toes the line between being poetically expressive and unabashedly intentional. His drumming, rooted in funk, rock, and jazz, lands in a beautifully unspecific place between straight and swing.

After years of writing and playing extensively at venues and clubs close to home on Long Island, NY, Ryan moved to New York City in 2011 to continue honing his craft as a songwriter and perform as a bandleader and supporting musician.

Along with his longtime musical partner, James Boone (guitar), and his then friend, and now wife, Tina Lama (bass), Ryan co-founded an instrumental jazz-funk group called Vintage Language Trio (VL3) in 2012. The band quickly booked a weekly residency in Astoria, Queens as well as two other monthly residencies in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Though the trio wrote original music, the early gigs leaned heavily on improvisation and spontaneous creativity. The years with Vintage Language Trio shaped Ryan’s ability to create in the moment and solidified his love and appreciation for jazz, groove, and modern greats like Brian Blade, Bill Stewart, Billy Martin, Stanton Moore, John Scofield, and Charlie Hunter.

In 2015, Ryan co-founded The Narrows—a rock trio with musical influences ranging from jazz and blues to jam bands and ethereal guitar loops. They released their first EP “Cover in Words” in 2018, which features Mike Landry (guitar and vocals) and James Boone (bass).

When the pandemic hit, Ryan took a respite from drumming, picked up his guitar, and began a new era of songwriting—a deep, introspective stylistic journey to discover his own refreshed perspective on creating music. The result was an avalanche of new tunes coming in forms ranging from 30-second compositions to full-length album releases. From 2019 to 2021, Ryan wrote dozens of songs and self-released four albums, two EPs, and 5 singles under the name Ryan Engelbert & The Little Victories. He continues to write, perform, and release under this name.

Ryan has studied with Billy Martin (Medeski, Martin & Wood) and Zak Najor (The Greyboy Allstars & Karl Denson's Tiny Universe) as well as Rob Garcia and Sean Conly at the New York Jazz Workshop in Manhattan.

Ryan is currently playing and recording with:
Stevie Matthews (The Weeblies)
Singer-songwriter trio at the intersection of 1970's pop and the great American songbook

DR.J
Funk and groove organ trio

Little Victories
Mixture of jazz, groove, and singer-songwriter influences featuring original compositions

Outside Themes
Modal, spiritual, and avant-garde jazz duo

John Mervini & The Maulers
Soulful blend of folk, country, blues, roots rock, and gospel

///
Ryan is available for gigs, recording sessions, and songwriting collaborations.
See booking page for contact information.

///

Photography by Matthew Dimas
Album artwork by Charley Robinson