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Bill Stevens
Bill Stevens is an artist, composer, musician, and educator.
About Me
Bill Stevens has been driven by a quote he attributes to Miles Davis, “I have to change”, but he will
be the first to tell you that his music is embedded in a deep understanding of history brought to
the present and beyond. He is always thinking about the process of creation, finding the new,
pushing boundaries both in his playing and especially in his compositions where he has always
looked to follow the voice inside of him toward his own spiritual path throughout a life in music.
Although Bill’s current music is based in sound and color through electro-ambient sound settings
that often utilize spoken word, fine art inspiration and field recordings, he also has a robust back
catalog of straight ahead Jazz, modal Jazz in an ECM style with an emphasis on Impressionistic
harmony and Romantic based melodies, free Jazz and avant-chromatic funk.
It has been a journey with many accomplishments (signed by iti Records, grants from the Seattle
Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Humanities, conference speaker and guest
performer in Norway and Australia to name a few), but there have been challenges on the path as
well (years of overcoming a distinct fear of performing, a break from the exhaustion of maintaining
a career in music that turned into a six year sabbatical to a debilitating almost career ending bout
with bells palsey that affected his ability to play the trumpet. Bill refers to his sound on the horn
today as a ‘fragile beauty’). But Bill’s middle class upbringing in Syracuse, NY taught him the value
of hard work, that anything worth caring about as much as he cares about his music is worth
fighting for. It was out of these trials that Bill began to commit toward sharing his love of music
with a younger generation in the New York City public schools. Bill has worked to inspire and
provide his students with creative experiences through his love of music, performance and
composition.
Bill wants his fans to know how important they are to him. He always ends his newsletter by
saying, “Thank you for being the most important part of my music”. For Bill this is not just a slogan,
but his mantra. He genuinely cares about the lives of the people who listen to his music by often
saying that his mission each time he performs or each time someone listens to his music at home
is to transport them away from their daily grind, to have them momentarily forget about their job,
issues at home, whatever the case may be to find a moment of relaxation and inner peace
transforming them through instrumental abstract concepts as a fuel to empower and enlighten.
Playlist
My Jazz Story
I love jazz because... I was first exposed to jazz... I met [musician name]... The best show I ever attended was... The first jazz record I bought was... My advice to new listeners... Or whatever else you have in mind.