Tim Whalen

“He is an exceptional player who fully understands the jazz language and is fully conversant with all genres of the music.” - Kenny Barron

Tim Whalen is an in-demand jazz pianist / composer / arranger living in Washington, DC. His passion and dedication to his art come through in everything he touches, and he has been blessed with opportunities to write and play music with some incredible people. He has played all over the United States, Japan and Europe in many different musical situations, and has written music for everything from jazz duos to orchestras.

Since moving to Washington DC in late 2010, Tim has become an in- demand pianist and arranger on the DC jazz scene, and has played with the finest musicians in the area, including Lena Seikaly, Tommy Cecil, Chuck Redd, Paul Pieper, Tedd Baker, Lyle Link, Kenny Rittenhouse, Kris Funn, Elijah Jamal Balbed, Donvonte McCoy, Victor Provost, Mark Prince, Zack Pride, Tom Baldwin, Paul Langosch, The Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, and others. He is also now starting to make his own mark on DC’s rich and diverse music scene as a bandleader. His septet and quintet have enjoyed sold out audience at venues such as Twins Jazz, the Smithsonian, and the Strathmore Music Center.

Beyond the Washington, DC area, Tim has been blessed with opportunities to play music with some incredible people, including David “Fathead” Newman, Ernie Adams, Wessell Anderson, Ambrose Akinmusire, Jon Hendricks, Vic Juris, Richard Davis, Dennis Irwin, Tim Ries, Clyde Stubblefield, Jackie Allen, Ben Sidran, Jorge Drexler, Marcus Belgrave, and Andy Martin.

“I have worked with Tim for over a decade and know him to be a dedicated and inspired musician, one who has developed and maintained a great facility in — and love for — the jazz piano tradition.” - Ben Sidran

Whalen is also held in high regard as a composer, arranger, and orchestrator. In 2005, he orchestrated the string arrangement for the Oscar-winning song El Otro Lado del Rio by Jorge Drexler from the film The Motorcycle Diaries. Tim has also written music for commercials, and his music for the DeJope Bingo ad campaign won an Addy award in Wisconsin. Versatility is so important these days, and he is equally at home writing music for an orchestra as he is writing for a jazz quintet. In March 2009, he premiered an orchestra commission for the Cobb Symphony in Atlanta where they played the music of The Who featuring a 5-piece rock band accompanied by a 60-piece orchestra.

“One of the ablest and most expansive pianists in the area.” - Mike West, Washington City Paper

Not one to stand still musically, Whalen is also very busy with numerous musical projects, including the Tim Whalen Trio, the Tim Whalen Nonet, the Tim Whalen Septet, and the Tim Whalen Chamber Ensemble, which mixes classical chamber music, soul music, poetry, and jazz.

From 2007 to 2010, Whalen was visiting assistant professor of Jazz Piano at the University of Toledo in Ohio, where he taught jazz improvisation, jazz composition and arranging, jazz history, and private lessons in jazz piano. He also co-directed the Jazz Vocalstra with the legendary jazz vocalist Jon Hendricks. Show less