Results for "Jazz Composer"

Andrew Neu

Born: September 23, 1979

By blending a unique mix of jazz, R&B, classical and Latin music, Andrew Neu is one of the most exciting, multi-genre musicians today. He is well respected throughout the industry for his work as a saxophonist, woodwind player, arranger, composer, educator and Billboard charting recording artist.

Having toured the world with Bobby Caldwell, Diane Schuur, Norman Brown and Smokey Robinson, Neu has shared the stage with Elton John, Patti Labelle, Mellissa Manchester, Mel Torme, Joey DeFrancesco, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Philly Pops, The Four Tops, and The Temptations among others. He has recorded with Sister Sledge, Manhattan Transfer, David Sanborn, Gerald Veasley, Jeff Lorber, Brian Bromberg, Rick Braun, Brian Culbertson, Chuck Loeb, Paul Brown and Buddy DeFranco. He was a featured soloist on Peter White’s number 1 song and record, ‘Here We Go’ and composed the horn arrangement on Brian Bromberg’s number 1 track Coupe De Ville.

Joe Newnam

Edward W. Hardy

Born: January 12, 1992

Praised for “composing the omnipresent music and playing the violin superbly” (The New York Times) and recognized as a DownBeat Award–winning composer, violinist, and violist, Dr. Edward W. Hardy is a Black and Puerto Rican artist whose work bridges classical, contemporary, and Black musical traditions. For Hardy, music is a language of human experience — a way to communicate, connect, and transform. Best known for bringing the solo violin to the Off-Broadway stage in the Obie Award–winning production "The Woodsman," Hardy has become one of the foremost voices redefining contemporary violin performance through storytelling, genre fusion, and cultural reflection.

Francois Bourassa

François Bourassa—now with eleven albums of original music under his belt—has become an ambassador for Canada’s thriving jazz community at an international level. A paragon of both consistency and evolution, he continues to seek out new challenges for himself, his colleagues, and his growing community of listeners. On July 7, 2023, he released « Swirl », a new live album by the François Bourassa Quartet recorded in 2022 at Studio Piccolo in Montreal (QC), and on April 16, 2021, Bourassa finally released his first solo piano album L’Impact du silence, recorded at La Buissonne in the southeast of France.
Bourassa’s talent was initially recognized by the Festival international de jazz de Montréal in 1985, kickstarting his trio’s recording and performing career throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. In 1996, Bourassa’s trio joined forces with André Leroux, a saxophonist and flutist who is equally at home with a contemporary saxophone quartet as with a jazz orchestra as the featured soloist. Bourassa’s eponymous quartet has been a staple of Montreal’s artistic landscape for 30 years and celebrates this anniversary with a Canadian tour in June/July 2026 and a European tour in November 2026. The band features founding bassist Guy Boisvert, longtime saxophonist André Leroux, and Guillaume Pilote as the most recent addition in Bourassa’s mentorship of young drummers. Their 2001 Live album recorded at Toronto’s Top O’ the Senator received a Juno award. In celebration of his compositional output, Bourassa was also the recipient of SOCAN’s Hagood Hardy Award in 2011. Number 9 (2017) chronicles his discography while also providing a subtle namecheck to the Beatles’ psychedelic oeuvre “Revolution #9” and The White Album. One highlight of the album, “Carla und Karlheinz” salutes two more of Bourassa’s guiding influences: Carla Bley (to whom he paid tribute at the Festival international de jazz de Montréal with the Orchestre national de Jazz) and Karlheinz Stockhausen. Number 9 was heralded as one of the best Canadian jazz albums of 2017 (Peter Hum, Ottawa Citizen) and praised by Bley herself and Steve Swallow as a “wondrous piece of work.” Over the past decades, the quartet has garnered multiple Félix and Opus awards for their recordings and live performances, respectively.

Dale Fielder

Born: July 27, 1956

Dale Fielder is an American jazz saxophonist, composer and bandleader. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays all four saxophones: soprano, alto, tenor and baritone with equal authority. He is known for his original compositions and choice of performing rare, obscure jazz classics as well as his varied group concepts and variety of presentations. Fielder has recorded over 20 CDs as a leader for various labels since he first appeared on the national jazz scene in 1993 with his first CD Free Flow.

He grew up in Midland, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh where he studied oboe, bassoon and tuba in the school system and clarinet, saxophone, composition and arranging privately with noted Pittsburgh area tenor saxophonist Phillip Celli. Fielder is also a product of the University of Pittsburgh Jazz Studies Program, where he studied as an ethnomusicology major under Dr. Nathan Davis. Fielder's debut jazz performance was as a member of the Joe Harris Quartet, former drummer of the Charlie Parker Quintet and Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra. After relocating to NYC, he was a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant in 1984, studying with trumpeter/composer Frank Gordon and completed his first large work, "The Aquarian "for alto saxophone and chamber orchestra. While in NYC, he also performed with a host of current jazz stars such as pianist/composer Geri Allen and trombonist Robin Eubanks among many others.

Joan Fort

Born: June 24, 1997

Joan Fort (1997) is a Spanish guitarist and composer based in Amsterdam (NL). He holds a Master’s degree in Jazz Guitar from the prestigious Conservatorium van Amsterdam and Temple University in Philadelphia.

Throughout his career, Joan has had the privilege of touring, performing and collaborating with renowned musicians such as Dick Oatts, Jeremy Pelt, Vincent Herring, Grant Stewart, Sarah Hanahan, Jorge Rossy, Bill McHenry, Jesse Davis, Benjamin Herman, Michael Weiss, Jasper Blom, Rita Payés, and Virginia MacDonald.

His latest acclaimed record, Hangin' In (2026), was recorded in New York among a stellar line-up: Grant Stewart on tenor sax, Michael Weiss on piano, David Wong on bass, and Aaron Kimmel on drums.

One of his co-led projects, The Dam Jawn, has released two critically acclaimed albums: Master St (2023) and Forward (2024), both featuring the legendary New York saxophonist Dick Oatts

Akiyoshi Shimizu

Born: March 6, 1985

Born in 1985 in Fukui, Japan.

Akiyoshi Shimizu’s musical journey began in childhood with a fascination for composition. At 14, he picked up the electric bass, and a transformative encounter with the music of Jaco Pastorius led him toward the world of jazz. Upon entering university, he transitioned to the double bass, mastering the instrument through self-study. Since beginning his professional career in Tokyo in 2006, he has earned profound trust and acclaim from a wide range of musicians across generations.

In tandem with his performance career, Shimizu has independently pursued the art of composition and arrangement. In 2020, he released his debut leader album, Satya. In 2022, his original composition "Room106" from the album was named a Finalist in the Jazz category of the prestigious John Lennon Songwriting Contest in the U.S., earning him international recognition as a composer.

Kemuel Roig

Born: December 18, 1988

Cuban piano prodigy Kemuel Roig discovered his passion for music at the age of four, laying the foundation for a career that has established him as one of the most versatile and captivating musicians of his generation. At eight, he immersed himself in classical piano and percussion studies at Cuba's prestigious National Vocational School of Art, where he developed the technical mastery and artistic depth that would later catapult him to worldwide fame.

Since moving to the United States in 2002, Roig has toured internationally and recorded with an extraordinary roster of legendary artists, including Arturo Sandoval, Al Di Meola, Aymée Nuviola, Chris Potter, Randy Brecker, Alain Pérez, Sammy Figueroa, Giovanni Hidalgo, Marcos Vidal, and Abraham Laboriel, among many others.

Sacha Boutros

Born: August 3, 1989

Jazz Virtuosa, Opera Muse. Supper Club Queen. The Voice of Peace that Transcends Borders

Sacha Boutros is an acclaimed jazz singer,  producer and composer, celebrated for performing in 14 languages. As a global peace ambassador of goodwill, she uses music as a bridge to foster community and designs peace murals that unite bordering nations.

A former semi-professional soccer and tennis player, Sacha attended one of the top business schools in the U.S., graduating with honors in Marketing and International Business. She later founded a record label, production, and publishing company, establishing herself as one of the few female producers in jazz. Her production company Hear me Roar curates entertainment across all genres for Fortune 500 companies major festivals, and bespoke artistic programs championing women and minorities in the arts; her programs are diverse and inclusive and create a sense of belonging to artists and audiences alike.

Anton Mikhailov

Born: November 7, 1999

Anton Mikhailov is a composer, pianist, and arranger based in Tbilisi, Georgia. Born in Horlivka, Ukraine, he trained in classical and jazz piano before developing a versatile voice in contemporary instrumental music, spanning modern jazz and improvisation, film and television scoring, and music for video games.

Rooted in classical tradition and driven by a strong improvisational instinct, his music blends rhythmic energy, cinematic harmony, and experimental textures. His influences extend from hip-hop, indie rock, and electronic music to twentieth-century orchestral writing and avant-garde improvisation.