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Ken Powe

Classically trained at age 8, Ken honed his musical skill enough to become a professional musician by age 16. After graduating from the University of Alabama with a degree in English, he joined his local AFM union and worked with many widely known artists in concerts and on recordings during the '90s. In the middle of that decade, he was asked to become Vice President/A&R of an independent recording label in Alabama. In 2002, he turned his attention to recording and producing, but never neglected his passion for live performance by playing in concerts, event shows and festivals throughout the U.S. and in Europe and continues to do so to this day. Though experienced in the performance of many genres, Ken is mostly known and recognized internationally for his work in Jazz, R&B, Hip Hop, Pop, Blues and Gospel. His main jazz influences on the piano include Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Erroll Garner, Herbie Hancock, Ramsay Lewis and McCoy Tyner.

Much of Ken's past recordings are productions and work for other title artists. However, in 2015, he made the decision to record and perform as a solo artist exclusively and sometimes performs with other established and renown solo artists. His current Smooth Jazz album, Steppin’, is his most commercially successful solo album recording to date.

Awards

Considered for Grammys® in 2017 and 2018 for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.


Tags

Ah! the music of Ken Powe is utterly captivating! Starting with "Funky Grand" with some truly mind-blowing piano improvisations, this is richly delicious album! 'Sweet Moments" is loaded with atmosphere and romance. What better way to spend a quiet evening with your loved one? :-). "Conception" is a beautiful track full of intriguing instrumentation. The piano's delicate performance is is like water skipping over stones :-). I loved the percussion in "The Air I Breathe"...this is an effortless, easy and completely fluid track! In contrast, "Crazy Talk" has a very definitely aggressive rhythm, the intricate piano improvisations are fantastic! Another stand-out track is "Yes, My Love" with great bass and ambiance and an abstract groove. Over all, this album is high on quality and content equally and is definitely going to be on my playlist for some time to come.

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