Results for "Jazz piano"

Dave Ihlenfeld

Born: January 24, 1965

Dave Ihlenfeld grew up in St. Louis, where at age 3 he started picking out bass lines to Motown tunes on the family piano. Lessons followed, to be abandoned in favor of viola, euphonium, and finally the tuba, but a piano opening in his high school jazz band provided the musical outlet he was seeking. Gigs followed, but fame and fortune did not, so he attended DePauw and Indiana Universities, and then worked out of Indianapolis as a music teacher and performing musician. Since 1996 he has resided in Arizona, where he is in demand as a jazz pianist and tuba player. He also writes the odd tune, usually employing an odd time signature

Arie Salma

Pianist/Keyboardist/Composer Arie Salma is a versatile musician who focuses on Jazz-Fusion music, many times with World influences. Born to Spanish parents in Israel, Arie was exposed to elements of Flamenco, Latin, African and Mediterranean music, which he likes blending with his Jazz playing and compositions.

Arie was introduced to Jazz as a young teenager, listening to giants such as Chick Corea, George Benson, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Weather Report and others. After completing his musical degree in Rimon School of Jazz in Israel, and playing aside with many local famous artists, Arie moved to the US. He took part in a variety musical projects, many of them being his own creation. In 2010, Arie created the Flamenco-Jazz musical group Sonido, along with Guitarist Rob Math. Sonido got and still gets played in many Jazz radio stations around the globe and received substantial reviews. Among contributors to the band were Drummer John Ferraro, Bassist Hussain Jiffry, Percussionist Bob Conti (played w Donna Summer, Jose Feliciano) and legendary Percussionist, Alex Acuna. The band played in many known Jazz venues such as Catalina Jazz Club in Los Angeles. Arie has also collaborated with various world artists such as renown multi-instrumentalists, Omar Faruk Tekbilek and Grammy awarded Brazilian singer, Luciana Souza.

Jesus Fuentes

Born: September 15, 1994

Jesús Fuentes was born in Cd. Juarez, Mexico. He is an active pianist, arranger and educator. Jesús is currently a DMA candidate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. holds a MM in Jazz Piano Performance from Texas Tech University and a BM in Commercial Music from the University of Texas at El Paso.

While Jesús is mainly a Jazz pianist, he has studied and regularly performs a variety of genres including Classical, Latin, and most commercial music styles. As a Jazz pianist he has played with world renowned artists such as Tom Harrell, Allen Vizzutti, Jaleel Shaw, Jiggs Wigham, and The Glenn Miller Orchestra

Vadim Bessarab Trio

Born: September 4, 1978

Jazz trio from Odessa, led by Vadim Bessarab. The trio’s sound combines jazz traditions and academic expressiveness, ethnic moods and contemplation characteristic of the modern European jazz language

Bob Boguslaw and The Way

The Way has been performing together in one form or another since 1995. The group has received critical acclaim from Jazz Times, All About Jazz and Beyond Coltrane for their Summit Records CDs, The Way and Gabrielle’s Hand. They have performed numerous times at the Kennedy Center, the Corcoran Gallery of Art and at Blues Alley. Musically, the group combines elements of Latin jazz, contemporary jazz, and some aspects of classical structure with lots of original compositions, as well as some re-workings of standards and pop tunes. The group consists of Bob Boguslaw (piano), Frank Russo (drums), Pete Barenbregge (saxophones), Aaron Clay (acoustic bass), and Chris Rose (percussion)

Felix Biller

Born: June 15, 1993

Felix Biller is an award-nominated pianist, composer, music educator and music manager. Born in Rosenheim, Bavaria (Germany), he started his musical education at the age of four. Throughout the years he tackled many instruments, such as guitar and saxophone, but the piano always remained his instrument of choice and mastery. His classical training gave him an excellent technique; his eagerness to experiment and think outside the box makes him search for new inspirations and opportunities for artistic development.

Biller is both an involved learner and dedicated teacher. He graduated in musicology from the University of Vienna and in music management from the University for Continuing Education Krems; furthermore, he earned his degree in keyboard instruments (popular music) with a focus on pedagogy at the University of Music and Performing Arts in the Austrian capital Vienna, where he lives. As a passionate educator, he enjoys working with people of different ages and musical backgrounds, which is made possible by his private teaching activities as well as his position as a lecturer in jazz piano at the Jazzseminar (Jazz Department) of the Dornbirn Music School.

Andrew Nixon

Born: October 1, 1983

As a child, Andrew began classical piano lessons with the late Suzanne Chapin, which he eventually quit, explaining to his parents that he did not like being told what to play. He spent the remainder of his childhood teaching himself, improvising, copying the classical music that he heard his sisters learning, and playing the trombone in various grade school ensembles.  

After several years playing keyboards in rock and blues bands around Buffalo and Rochester NY, he discovered jazz in 2006 and began studying with pianist/composer Paul Hofmann (Eastman School of Music). Now fully devoted to music, he went on to earn a master’s degree in music theory in 2012 from the University of Buffalo, where he also studied classical piano and composition.  After performing countless times in festivals and clubs in and around western New York, he began shifting his focus to composition in 2020.  

Mike LeDonne

Born: October 26, 1956

Pianist Mike LeDonne started playing piano at the age of 5 and was raised in his parent’s music store. By the age of 10 his father, a jazz guitarist, began booking him on gigs. He is now an internationally renowned pianist and organist with the unique experience of having played with a wide spectrum of jazz masters from Benny Goodman to Milt Jackson and Sonny Rollins. He has won praise not only from critics but from master musicians: Oscar Peterson picked him as one of his favorite pianists of today. At age 21, Mike graduated from New England Conservatory in 1979 and moved to New York City with the Widespread Jazz Orchestra

Will Bonness

Born: October 1, 1985

JUNO-winning pianist Will Bonness has been active on the Winnipeg, Canadian and international jazz scenes for two decades. At 17, Will joined Maynard Ferguson’s Big Bop Nouveau Band for a world tour, which included performances in Europe, Thailand, and the Caribbean. He has performed at many of the major jazz festivals in Canada and the United States, as well as in the world’s most prestigious venues, with such luminaries as Jon Gordon, Avishai Cohen, Quincy Davis, Jimmy Greene, and Derrick Gardner. Locally, he can often be seen performing with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, and the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra. Will’s performance career has led him to spend substantial time in New York City, where he has played at the Blue Note, Smalls, and Dizzy’s. Aside from his performances, he maintains a full-time teaching position at the University of Manitoba, where he has taught music for the past 12 years. Will has four releases to his credit: "Subtle Fire" (2009), "Halcyon" (2016), "Change of Plans" (2020), and "Is This a Dream?" (2023).

Jaco Parmentier

Born: July 15, 1961

Jaco's universe is sewn together with limpid sources, subtle tastes, cinematographic landscapes, serenity and pure energy. A pianist who expresses himself with the spontaneity and freedom that is the essence of jazz, Jaco has always been influenced by many musical cultures (pop, progressive rock, classical and world music) as well as by the visual arts. (he regularly collaborates with artists coming from all walks of the performing arts and the cinema). He is an inspired composer developing a very personal style through his melodies and his rich harmonic, rhythmic climates.