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Louis Heckheimer

About Me

My interest in jazz was first ignited when I happened to come across the 75th birthday festivities for Duke Ellington on 89.9 WKCR-FM in 1974. A graduate of New York’s High School of Performing Arts where I majored in violin, I have pursued my passion for music as a primarily avocational musician and listener while maintaining a career in the allied health professions. When I was a student at SUNY Stony Brook I created the long running jazz program, “Jazz On The Air” at radio station 90.1 WUSB-FM. As musician my main emphasis has been jazz, latin and classical violin but I am following a new found passion for classical piano. As a student I have studied with diverse teachers such as Barry Harris,Rick Stone, John Blake, Frank Wess, Billy Taylor, Yusef Lateef, David Baker, Chris Woods and members of the Turtle Island String Quartet . I have also studied latin jazz with Sonny Bravo and John DiMartino. I have had the privilege of performing as a guest of Orquesta Aragon, the Loren Schoenberg Big Band and The Harlem Blues and Jazz Band among others. Musically speaking my taste in jazz is pretty catholic (small c that is) but as of late my ear has perked more towards swing and bebop as well as latin jazz. I also try to get out to some of the piano rooms around New York due to my new passion for piano.