Adonis Patrick Rose was born January 11, 1975, in New Orleans, into a musical family that included his uncle, bassist Chris Severin. He took to the drums early, influenced by his father and by the legendary New Orleans drummer James Black, and honed his craft at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. Rose toured extensively with lifelong friend and fellow trumpeter Nicholas Payton, with whom he has recorded six albums, and went on to perform and record with an extraordinary roster of jazz figures, including Betty Carter, Harry Connick Jr., Terence Blanchard, Marcus Roberts, Dianne Reeves, Nnenna Freelon, Kurt Elling, and Wynton Marsalis, performing at Carnegie Hall, the Apollo Theater, and Jazz at Lincoln Center.
In 2010, Rose won a Grammy Award with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO) for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. Following Hurricane Katrina, Rose relocated to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, serving as Artist in Residence at the University of Texas at Arlington and Cadillac's Jazz by the Boulevard Festival, producing the Keller Jazz in June series, and founding the nonprofit Fort Worth Jazz Orchestra. In January 2017, Rose returned to New Orleans as Artistic Director of NOJO, and that October led the eighteen-piece orchestra through its first full concert season in two years, bringing in world-renowned guest artists including Sheila E., Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ledisi, Slick Rick, and Eric Benét.
Under Rose's leadership, NOJO has released acclaimed recordings including Songs: The Music of Allen Toussaint (2019), praised by JazzTimes, and Petite Fleur (2021), featuring vocalist Cyrille Aimée. Rose has more than 50 recordings to his name, five as a leader, including the 2022 ballads collection For All We Know with his trio. He also directs the New Orleans Jazz Institute, holds a residency at NOCCA, and continues to develop the educational and community programs anchoring NOJO's home venue, The Jazz Market, a 350-seat performance space in New Orleans' Central City neighborhood.
