The Ensemble
Good Time Brass brings a fresh and fun angle to the traditional brass chamber experience! Based in Los Angeles, Good Time Brass feeds off the musical energy of its city, performing a wide variety of styles including jazz, contemporary classical, pop, and film music. The group synthesizes this versatility with top-notch musicianship and technical ability, building on the legacy of Los Angeles brass from Herb Alpert to the Hollywood studios
Founded in 2022, Good Time Brass creates a space to foster the individual creativity and artistic freedom of its members (Aric Kline, Trumpet; Austin Ali, Trumpet; Vincent Jurado, French Horn; Nathan Culcasi, Trombone; Sam Adam, Tuba). Through performances and after-gig hangs, the quintet has strengthened their bond as friends, matured as an ensemble, and developed a unique and authentic sound.
The sandbox for Good Time Brass’s growth has consistently been at UCLA. Its members all met in graduate school at the Herb Alpert School of Music, and the quintet became a staple of the UCLA concert landscape. Good Time Brass members performed as sought-after musicians in graduate recitals, Graduate Composers Concerts, and UCLA’s flagship large ensembles. The quintet found a home outside of the conservatory through the Music in Medicine program, bringing live music to physicians, patients, and staff at the Ronald Reagan Medical Center. These performances became their equivalent of the Beatles’ stint in Hamburg, allowing them to fine-tune their craft and premiere numerous new arrangements. More recently, Good Time Brass recorded multiple projects at the UCLA Recording Studio and made a triumphant return to the concert hall at the inaugural Climate Notes” Concert (featured in UCLA Newsroom). This concert was dedicated to the interdisciplinary synthesis of music and climate science through new music commissions. Good Time Brass premiered Austin Ali’s piece A Cosmic Perspective as a multimedia experience featuring a film by fellow PhD student Katie Osborn.
From its inception, Good Time Brass has committed to performing new music (and avoiding all things Ewald-related). Through this pursuit, the group hopes to expand the traditional brass quintet repertoire and pave the way for innovations for the ensemble. Good Time Brass has worked closely with numerous emerging composers, premiering and recording their original works for brass quintet. Composition collaborators include Austin Ali (Santander Overture, A Cosmic Perspective), Robby Good (Another Day Has Died (And What It Brings)), Sergey Nesterov (Golden Resonances), and Peder Barratt-Due (Kanon).
Good Time Brass is dedicated to music education. The members of the quintet are all high-level music educators across Los Angeles, teaching through YOLA and Harmony Project as well as SMMUSD and various other institutions. As a quintet, they showcase the educational power and fun of brass chamber music in schools. Good Time Brass performs yearly for the students at Malibu High School, and they will be bringing their new show entitled “Cowboy Bebop” to schools and other venues in the 25/26 school year.
The Musicians
Core Members
Aric Kline
Los Angeles based trumpet player Aric Kline leads an active career as a chamber musician, orchestral trumpet player, jazz musician, and advocate of new music.
Aric can be heard as Principal Trumpet of the San Gabriel Valley Symphony, Principal Trumpet of the Channel Islands Chamber Orchestra, Split Lead Trumpet in contemporary big band Sicnarf, as well as numerous indie film scores, such as the short film M.I.R, written and directed by Liam Sherman.
As a soloist he has commissioned several works for trumpet, including Double Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra, written by David Hernandez. After this concerto’s premiere with the San Gabriel Valley Symphony in April, Aric looks forward to recording his first solo album, entitled No Genre Needed.
Past his role as a performer, Aric has taken on the responsibility of being an educator. Through his studio of ten private students, as well as the positions he holds with The Orchestra Place, and with Aimee Art Productions, Aric has become a passionate educator that looks to foster a sense of wonder and joy for all of the students he has the privilege of working with.
When he isn’t playing or teaching the trumpet, Aric can be found testing out new recipes, watching movies, going to concerts, exploring Los Angeles and playing card games with his friends, namely the other members of Good Time Brass.
To hear a few of Aric’s recent projects, check out the newly released Sicnarf Ep A Clever Bit, and keep your ears ready for Good Time Brass’ upcoming recording of A Cosmic Perspective.
Austin Ali
“Austin Ali understands the point of the bass trombone. This’ll be fun.”
–Satisfied bass trombone player
Hailing from Texas, Austin Ali is a composer, trumpeter, and arranger based in Los Angeles, California. An insatiably curious person, he strives to inspire wonder through his music. From complex-meter jazz to spacey orchestral scores, he seeks to compose infectiously fun and unforgettable music.
His music has been performed by celebrated soloists including GRAMMY-winning soprano Hilá Plitmann, trombonist Christopher Bill, and harpist Alexander Boldachev. Orchestral collaborators include the Austin Symphony, Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, New Conductors Orchestra, Tampa Bay Symphony, Columbus Symphony (Indiana), New England Philharmonic, Orchestra Senzaspine, and Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini. His chamber works have been championed by the Carpe Diem String Quartet, Diotima Quartet, Bridge to Everywhere, and Salastina.
Fueled by his practice as an active trumpeter, Austin has written for wind and brass ensembles including the University of Texas Wind Ensemble, Spanish Brass, Good Time Brass, and Los Angeles Brass Alliance. Austin has been featured as a composer and performer at international festivals from Texas to Guatemala and Italy, with highlights such as performing for the President of Costa Rica and opening for Stevie Wonder.
As a cross-genre collaborator and Hollywood transplant, Austin’s original film score premiered at the John F. Kennedy Center in 2025, and his jazz and pop arrangements for Big Wy’s Brass Band and Trombone Timo have gained millions of views online. An arts education advocate, he serves as Vice President and Composer-in-Residence for Los Angeles Inception Orchestra. Austin holds his B.A. and B.M. from the University of Texas and his M.A. and Ph.D. (ABD) from UCLA. His self-published works are available at austinali.com.
Vincent Jurado
Vincent Jurado is a Filipino-American musician from the San Francisco Bay Area currently residing in Los Angeles. Mainly a horn player, Vincent enjoys being a “jack-of-all-trades” and can be found performing on various other instruments. Vincent is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music as an Eugene V. Cota-Robles Fellow. He plans to apply the knowledge and pedigree from the DMA degree to carve a career path in college and university education. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from San José State University and a Master’s degree in Music Performance from the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.
Vincent has performed with various groups in California, including the Santa Monica Symphony, Tehachapi Symphony, American Youth Symphony, Los Angeles Brass Alliance, San José Youth Symphony, West Coast Classical, Eastern Sierra Pops Orchestra, and the South Bay Wind Ensemble. He has performed with artists such as Gwen Stefani, Kevin Woo, Arlissa, Joey Quinones, Pasquale Esposito, Sheléa, Catherine Russell, and Jay Jennings of Snarky Puppy. As a recording artist, he can be heard on Charlieonafriday’s Undefeated, Robby Good’s Dis-Topia (Original Cast Recording), Main Title to “Project: Eden’s Garden”, multiple Voluntary Hazing albums, and Kritika Malhotra’s recording of Stravinsky’s Concerto in Eb “Dumbarton Oaks”, to name a few.
Music Education is a big part of his philosophy and ambitions as a musician, whether that be the marching arts, pedagogy, or traditional instruction. Vincent has served as a guest clinician, music coach, and brass technician for programs around the San Francisco Bay Area. He has served as a Teaching Assistant and Associate Instructor for the UCLA Bruin Marching Band. He is currently a music coach for the SMMUSD, mainly operating at Malibu High School. While he is not working on his craft as a musician, Vincent can be found indulging in the many great food places in the greater-Los Angeles area. In a similar vein, he is a connoisseur of cooking, skateboarding, and football. Vincent is a huge San Francisco 49ers fan and consequently does not like the Dallas Cowboys.
Nathan Culcasi
Nathan Culcasi is a trombone player and music educator based in Los Angeles. Originally from Sacramento, Nathan moved to Los Angeles to study trombone performance at UCLA and immerse himself in the thriving music scene of the city. Years later he is a Double Bruin (earning both BA and MM Degrees) and he performs professionally in a wide variety of musical settings while teaching the next generation of trombone players.
Nathan has performed with numerous high-level orchestras in the LA area, including the Santa Monica Symphony, Bakersfield Symphony, New West Symphony, and Los Angeles Dream Orchestra. He is equally at home in classical chamber and solo music as well, and has earned such awards as “Honorable Mention” in the 2022 ITA Trombone Quartet Competition, 3rd place in the 2024 Doug Tornquist Solo Competition, and was named a Winner in the 2022 UCLA “All-Star” Concerto Competition. His classical foundation is supplemented by extensive experience in jazz and commercial music as well, including performing on the “Rhapsody and the Blues” Midwest tour with Jens Lindemann’s Big Band and recording on pop artist RAIGN’s self titled live studio album.
As an educator, Nathan teaches trombone students of all levels. He was recently appointed Low Brass Studio Instructor at CSU Bakersfield, and also serves as the Trombone Teaching Artist at Harmony Project @ EXPO. In addition to these positions, Nathan is the Dream Brass Coach for SMMUSD Elementary Schools and runs his own private lesson studio.
When not driving to gigs or in the practice room, Nathan enjoys cooking, watching basketball (Go Kings!), and spending time outdoors. He is always looking for opportunities to explore the rich cultures, cuisines, and communities of Los Angeles
Samuel Adam
Music lovers should beware asking Samuel Adam (he/him) too many questions about the tuba, because once they get him going it may be hard for him to stop. Sam found himself picking up the tuba for the first time at the age of 15; not coincidentally, right after realizing he, as a high tenor, would never be able to sing bass in his high school choir. A single-minded obsession was quickly ignited, and he found himself leaving his hometown of Juneau, Alaska to attend Interlochen arts camp and then the prestigious Peabody Institute in Baltimore, Maryland before finally settling back on the West Coast.
Sam is currently the second tubist to ever attend UCLA as a DMA performance candidate, and while he enjoys an active freelance orchestral and recording career, he is happiest both researching and performing in a chamber setting. In the past, Sam was a founding quintet member of Aeris Brass, and currently sits on the roster of both Good Time Brass Quintet and Brass Elephant. Sam’s goal, as performer, educator, and composer is to advocate for the tuba in all ensembles as a vital mainstay in the orchestral sonic palette.
Guest Artists
Emma Breen
A dedicated performer and educator, Emma Breen is an active trumpet player based in Los Angeles. She currently holds a residency with the Los Angeles Soundscape Orchestra and serves as a teaching artist with both the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Youth Orchestra Los Angeles. Recent orchestral engagements include substitute appearances with the Santa Monica Symphony, Bakersfield Symphony, and Claremont Orchestra, among others.
The first woman to win principal-trumpet in the American Youth Symphony, Emma’s performance experience spans classical, contemporary, and commercial work, including contributions to Barbie: The Movie in Concert and an upcoming project with the Wu-Tang Clan. They have appeared as a soloist on screen and served as a brass consultant for feature films, bringing both artistry and adaptability to a variety of media.
Emma holds degrees from Northwestern University (B.M.) and UCLA (M.M.), where she is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Trumpet Performance. Principal teachers include David Bilger, Michael Sachs, Tom Rolfs, Jens Lindemann, and David Washburn.
When not playing trumpet Emma can be found working in the Zamudio Cancer Research Lab and feeding a graduate school level caffeine addiction.
Good Time Brass 