Results for "piano"

Borah Bergman

Born: December 13, 1933

Borah Bergman was an American free jazz pianist. Bergman was born in Brooklyn. He learned clarinet as a child, and did not commence his piano studies until adulthood. He developed his left hand playing to the point where he became essentially ambidextrous as a pianist, and can play equally fast in both hands. He recorded four albums as a soloist before embarking on several duo and trio albums in the 1990s and 2000s. He died, aged 78, in New York.

Steve Beresford

Steve Beresford (born 1950) is a British musician. He has played a variety of instruments, including piano, trumpet, euphonium, double-bass and a wide variety of toy instruments, such as the toy piano. He has also played a wide range of music. He is probably best known for free improvisation, but has also written music for film and television and has been involved with a number of pop music groups. Beresford was born in Wellington, Shropshire in England, studied at the University of York, and stayed in York after graduating, becoming involved in theatre as well as arranging various free improvisation concerts in the city. At this early stage, he was playing a wide variety of music, playing the Hammond Organ in a soul music covers band, featuring on Trevor Wishart 's early work Journey Into Space (1973) and free improvising. In 1974, Beresford moved to London, where he played in Derek Bailey's Company events and in the groups Alterations with David Toop, Terry Day and Peter Cusack, and the Three Pullovers with Nigel Coombes and Roger Smith. He was also a member with Gavin Bryars and Brian Eno of the Portsmouth Sinfonia. Beresford has continued to play free improvisation with a number of prominent musicians, including Evan Parker, Lol Coxhill, John Zorn, Alfred Harth in the group Gestalt et Jive and Han Bennink. He has also worked with a number of popular musicians, including The Slits, Frank Chickens, Ted Milton and The Flying Lizards. During the 1970s, Beresford was a co-founder and co-editor of the magazine Musics, which dealt mainly with free improvisation, whilst during the early 1980s he helped to set up the somewhat glossier publication Collusion, which had a wider musical remit, covering fields such as rap, heavy metal, classical music, film music, pop music as well as the avant-garde and free improvisation. Along with David Toop, Beresford was also a prime mover of the London Musicians Collective.

Shelly Berg

Born: August 18

Shelly Berg is a Steinway piano artist and multi-Grammy nominated arranger and producer. His latest jazz trio album Alegría (ArtistShare) features bassist Carlitos Del Puerto and drummer Dafnis Prieto. His previous album Gershwin Reimagined: An American in London was recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by José Serebrier (Decca Gold).

The All Music Guide says “Shelly Berg is one of the finest pianists around in the early 21st century playing modern mainstream jazz.” His recording project The Deep with bassist Dave Finck on Chesky Records is widely praised for its versatility and virtuosity with 4.5 stars from DownBeat magazine

Jacky Terrasson

Born: November 27, 1966

Jacky Terrasson, winner of the distinctive Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition and two time Grammy nominee, was acclaimed by The New York Times Magazine as “one of 30 artists under the age of 30 most likely to make an impact on American culture in the next 30 years.” Since his 1994 Blue Note debut, Jacky Terrasson, he has earned phenomenal worldwide response, ranking among Time magazine’s Top Albums of 1995 and establishing him as a creator of new standards. Los Angeles Times heralds Jacky as “a pianist with a shining improvisational imagination, Terrasson seems clearly determined to follow his own path.” That path has criss-crossed the Atlantic from his native France where at age 12 he discovered his mother’s jazz collection, inspiring him to depart classical piano for the “freedom of expression in improvisation”

John Taylor

Born: September 25, 1942

{{m: John Taylor = 4833}} was born in Manchester (25th September 1942) and first came to the attention of the jazz audience in 1969 when he partnered saxophonists, Alan Skidmore and John Surman. He was later reunited with Surman in the short-lived group Morning Glory and in the 1980s with Miroslav Vitous’s quartet. In the early 1970s, he was accompanist to the singer Cleo Laine and started to compose for his own sextet. John also worked with many visiting artists at Ronnie Scott’s club and later became a member of Ronnie’s quintet. In 1977 John formed the trio Azimuth, with Norma Winstone and Kenny Wheeler

Cecil Taylor

Born: March 25, 1929

"One of my wishes has been realized. I found love. It was difficult, but I found it. Because when Billy Holiday sang, 'You don‘t know what love is,' great singers will tell you… it‘s a partnership. It‘s a sharing." —Cecil Taylor

"Practice, to be studious at the instrument, as well as looking at a bridge, or dancing, or writing a poem, or reading, or attempting to make your home more beautiful. What goes into an improvisation is what goes into one's preparation, then allowing the prepared senses to execute at the highest level devoid of psychological or logical interference. You ask, without logic, where does the form come from? It seems something that may be forgotten is that as we begin our day and proceed through it there is a form in existence that we create out of, that the day and night itself is for. And what we choose to vary in the daily routine provides in itself the fresh building blocks to construct a living form which is easily translated into a specific act of making a musical composition." - Cecil Taylor

Art Tatum

Born: October 13, 1909

Art Tatum was born in Toledo, Ohio and despite being blind in one eye and only partially sighted in the other he became arguably the greatest jazz piano player who ever lived. He came from a musical family and when younger had some formal training at the Toledo School of Music, however he was largely self-taught. His teacher their recognized his talents and tried to steer him towards as a career as a classical concert pianist. Tatum was more interested in the music of Fats Waller, which would be a strong influence on his music. At 18 he was playing interludes at a local radio station and within a short period of time he had his own show

Billy Taylor

Born: July 24, 1921

Billy Taylor encompassed that rare combination of creativity, intelligence, vision, commitment and leadership, qualities that made him one of our most cherished national treasures. The distinguished ambassador of the jazz community to the world-at-large, Dr. Billy Taylor's recording career spans nearly six decades. He has also composed over three hundred and fifty songs, including "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free," as well as works for theatre, dance and symphony orchestras. Playing the piano professionally since 1944, he got his start with Ben Webster's Quartet on New York's famed 52nd Street

Horace Tapscott

Born: April 6, 1934

Born in 1934 in Houston, Texas, Horace came from a musical family centered around his mother, Mary Malone Tapscott, who worked professionally as a singer and pianist. When Horace was nine, the family moved to Los Angeles. As a teenager in the late 1940's, Horace was surrounded by the music of Central Avenue: Art Tatum, Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Dexter Gordon, were among the many cats on the set. Around this time, Horace also began to take music lessons from teachers Dr. Samuel R. Browne and Lloyd Reese, whose other students included Eric Dolphy and Frank Morgan. Horace's musical studies included trombone in addition to piano. In 1952, Horace graduated from Jefferson High, got married to Cecilia Payne and went into the Air Force

Aki Takase

Born: January 26, 1948

Born in Japan, lessons of piano since 3 years old, later on studies of music at Tohogakuen Music University. Since 1978 several stays in the USA. Many concerts & recordings in Japan with Dave Liebman, Lester Bowie, Joe Henderson, Cecil McBee. 1981 first concert in Germany at Jazzfestival Berlin/Philharmonie. Since 1987 live in Berlin. Intensive work with Alex von Schlippenbach (Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra) and other musicians of the European New Jazz. (Evan Parker, Paul Lovens, Han Bennink, Tony Oxley...) In Duo with Maria Joao(1987-1994), with David Murray. in Trio with Rashed Ali and Reggie Workman. in Stringquartet (tour with Tristan Honsinger a.o.) Since 1996 play in Duo with Rudi Mahall.