Results for "piano"

Frank LoCrasto

Born: March 7, 1983

Since he was a landlocked Dallas, Texas kid, beach culture has held a tropical mystique for pianist/composer Frank LoCrasto. Family trips documented by camcorder videos, featuring slinky jazz-fusion soundtracks are etched in the Brooklyn-based artist’s memory. In his mind, there will always be a fantasyland replete with wicker furniture, pristine beaches, swaying palm trees, the smell of vanilla-scented suntan lotion, and breathtaking aqua water expanses. These days, LoCrasto uses his imagination, evocative musicality, prodigious chops, and eclectic sonic palette to create dreamy musical locales

Donal Fox

Donal Fox is internationally acclaimed as composer, pianist, and improviser in both the jazz and classical fields. His numerous awards include a 1997 Guggenheim Fellowship in music composition, a 1998 Fellowship from the Bogliasco Foundation (Italy), and 1999, 2001, and 2003 nominations for a CalArts/Alpert Award in the Arts. Mr. Fox's exciting and innovative "Jazz Duet Series" has included concerts, recordings, and collaborations with Oliver Lake, John Stubblefield, Billy Pierce, David Murray, Elliott Sharp, Regina Carter, Andrew Cyrille, Stefon Harris, Al Foster, Gary Burton, John Patitucci, and poet Quincy Troupe to name a few

Dario Boente

Born: December 21, 1973

The term "crossover artist" can mean many things. In the case of Grammy and Latin Grammy Winner Argentinian born pianist and composer Dario Boente, it means a musician who is equally at home performing romantic Argentine and jazz compositions on a grand piano, as he is programming world-beat electronica. Dario's musical personality energetically bridges the Jazz-club and the Dance-club and is a direct outgrowth of his own life. Having been brought up in Argentina and Spain, immersed in the culture of tango and Jazz, he pursued his formal studies at Berklee School of Music (Boston), the Guildhall School of Music (London) and the New School Jazz and Contemporary Music Program (New York) and his social life in the music scene of New York, Madrid, and London. In the early ’90s, Boente toured the Euro circuit playing “Big Joe Turner” as his keyboard player and musical director, with pop band Imagination, with Spanish flamenco singer "Jose El Frances", making dance tracks, and performing in the major music festivals

Gini Wilson

Gini Wilson, known as The Duchess, is legendary in the Bay area as a brilliant jazz pianist, entertainer, and composer. In concerts and interviews she is also noted for her irreverent sense of humor . She is the Director and, with reedman Steve Heckman, the co-founder of The San Francisco ChamberJazz Quartet. When not performing at concerts and festivals with the group, Gini performs regularly at well-known Bay area clubs such as Jazz at Pearls, Bacar and Shanghai 1930 in San Francisco. She has done many television and radio projects and was a regular on the NPR radio show “West Coast Live”

Russ Kassoff

Born: August 28, 1953

Russ Kassoff is an accomplished jazz pianist, conductor, composer, orchestrator, and arranger, whose varied talents are much valued and on display in the music world. Russ Kassoff is one of the most highly regarded musicians in New York and was praised by the New York Times in 2004 as possessing a "precision and enthusiasm that is riveting." In the words of the Chairman of the Board, "You are the best." -Frank Sinatra, '87 Russ toured as pianist to Frank Sinatra from '80-'91, served as pianist/accompanist for Liza Minnelli from '82-'01 and Minnelli's music director and conductor for the acclaimed Minnelli on Minnelli national tour ('00)

Bob Hamilton

Born: February 19, 1948

Born and raised in the Newark, NJ area, Bob started playing piano and organ at the age of 8. Early on, family and friends noticed that he was gifted and encouraged him to pursue his music. Throughout middle school and high school, Bob played in numerous bands covering a variety of musical styles, but his interest was truly in jazz. His early influences included Count Basie Band and Oscar Peterson. Pursuing music as his career, Bob then went on to major in music at Butler University in Indianapolis, IN. Bob's music teacher, Richard Osborne, introduced him to the Indianapolis music scene. He was a steady at the The Embers and performed with comedians and singers, such as Frankie Lane, Eloise Laws, and Slappy White

John di Martino

Born: April 2, 1959

John di Martino is a composer, arranger, jazz pianist, producer and educator, based in New York City.  He is described as a "shape-shifter", for his creativity across musical genres.  
 John composed the music for the documentary series: “A Glimpse Of Paradise"   ( Prospera Medienproduktion ) aired on Europe’s Arte Channel, and music for the video games: "Batman: The Telltale Series" Mr. Di Martino latest CD’s are: “Passion Flower” ( the music of Billy Strayhorn ), Featuring Raul Midon, Eric Alexander, Boris Kozlov,and Lewis Nash,  and: “Mazel” ( Yiddish Songs, re-imagined ), with Janis Siegel and Cantor Daniel Krammer

Lafayette Harris, Jr.

Born: May 29, 1963

Lafayette Harris’s accomplishments speak for themselves. Known as the “go to” pianist by other musicians and band leaders, in the last year alone, Lafayette has performed on Broadway with the THE COLOR PURPLE, toured Europe with Ernestine Anderson, played the wedding for the daughter of ABC “World News Tonight” host, Charlie Gibson and helped raise money for children with cancer in Columbus, OH. Alongside these have been Lafayette’s regular appearances at New York’s Blue Note and weekly open mic session that he hosts at the historic Lenox Lounge in Harlem, widely regarded as the “best vocal jam session” in the city by New York’s weekly listing guides

Amanda Tosoff

Born: December 9, 1983

Amanda Tosoff is a B.C.-raised Toronto-based pianist, composer, and bandleader, with five albums to her credit. Along her fascinating career path, Amanda has performed with such internationally recognized artists as Ingrid Jensen, Emilie-Claire Barlow, Phil Dwyer, Christine Jensen, Brad Turner, Kelly Jefferson, and Jodi Proznick. She has also opened for jazz legends Bobby Hutcherson, Renee Rosnes, Oliver Jones, and Brazilian singer Luciana Souza, and her groups have recorded for CBC Radio programs Hot Air, Tonic, Jazz Beat, and Espace Musique’s series, Portraits Jazz. Tosoff has earned critical kudos, the respect of her peers, and such prestigious awards as the CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award at the 2007 Vancouver International Jazz Festival and the General Motors Grand Prix de Jazz at the 2009 Montréal Jazz Festival

Alexandra Samsonova

Born: March 4, 1975

Alexandra Samsonova, began her musical training at the age of six. Starting with classical she was accepted at the age of sixteen at the renowned Gnesinyh Russian Academy of Music. Wishing to develop growing interest in jazz, she was later admitted to the Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship, where she graduated Summa CumLaude in 2001, with a joint major in performance and composition. Since then, Alexandra has performed with Kevin Mahogany, Greg Hopkins, Darren Barrett, Lionel Lueke and Jaleel Shaw to name a few. She has played at the Blue Note and the Carnegie Hall in New York, and was invited in 2000 to the IAJE conference in New Orleans as a guest performer. With her own band, for which she writes the music, Alexandra has appeared at the Jamburee Jazz Festival in Barcelona, Ryles Jazz Club (Boston), Nantucket Film Festival, Martha’s Vineyard Festival, Bi-2 Jazz Club in Moscow, Russia. She recently completed a tour Club in Portugal and Spain where she performed in such renown places as Hotclub and OndaJazz in Lisbon, Jimmy Glass and OreJazz clubs in Valencia, Jamburee and Casa Terrassa in Barcelona. In spring 2007 she will be releasing her recording with a special guest Jaleel Shaw ( member of Roy Haynes band and Mingus Big Band).