Results for "piano"

Ellyn Rucker

Born: July 29, 1937

Singer and pianist Ellyn Rucker's great pianistic skills and her sensuous voice belie her late start as a jazz performer. She started playing piano when she was eight; ten years later she was studying classical piano at Drake University. Jazz music was in her life as a teenager, but she did not start performing as a singer-pianist until 1979. In the ensuing time she was an ordinary mother, raising a family, and playing infrequently. She was born and raised in Des Moines, but calls Denver her musical home. Though she is a fixture in Colorado, and she has made many European tours, played many festivals, and appeared in many clubs across America, her name is not well-known to the general jazz fan

Michael Royal

Michael Royal is, in the best sense of the words, a traditional and eclectic musician. Which is to say his music uses cultural inheritances without re-creating them and draws upon a variety of elements from different sources. Feeling is always the generating force. One might even think of Royal as a fusion musician, not in the current marketing sense of the word, but rather in the common sense of blending and uniting. He was self-taught until studying formally with pianist Jacques Abram at the University of South Florida. Under the influences of Debussy, Ravel, Coltrane, Monk, and Bill Evans, his music continues to evolve into a mature simplicity - expressive, sensitive, and eloquent. Royal has performed extensively throughout North America, Europe, and Asia

Gonzalo Rubalcaba

Born: May 27, 1963

Gonzalo Julio Gonzalez Fonseca was born in Havana, Cuba, May 27, 1963, into a musical family rich in the traditions of the country’s artistic past. During his childhood, in addition to the standard fare of elementary schools, Gonzalo was absorbing his Cuban musical heritage through personal contacts within his family, notably his father, pianist Guillermo Rubalcaba, and leading musicians who were frequent houseguests: Frank Emilio, Peruchin, Felipe Dulzaides and others. He also assimilated through scarce and treasured recordings the tunes and styles of 40’s-70’s US jazz masters: Thelonius Monk, Bud Powell, Oscar Peterson among pianists; and instrumentalists Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Art Blakey

Jimmy Rowles

Born: August 19, 1918

Jimmy Rowles was born in Spokane, Washington, August 19, 1918. Inspired by Andy Kirk, Dick Wilson and Jimmy Lunceford, Jimmy began his professional career in 1935. By 1941, he was playing with Lee and Lester Young and the great Billie Holiday. Establishing himself in jazz, Rowles' career has brought him recognition and respect as a master jazz pianist and a five-time Grammy nominee. In the late '40's and in New York, he recorded with Billie Holiday and the Youngs, as well as artists, Harry "Sweets" Edison and Benny Carter. He also recorded with Ben Webster and appeared in the documentary, The Brute and the Beautiful, filmed by John Jeremy and exclusively screened, August 24, 1989, by the L.A

Florian Ross

Born: August 1, 1972

Born in 1972, he studied piano and composition in Cologne, London and New York with John Taylor, Joachim Ullrich, Bill Dobbins, Django Bates, Don Friedman and Jim McNeely. The first of Ross's six albums was released in 1998 under his own name. Ross's recordings look closely at both the multifaceted jazz tradition and his extraordinary handling of contemporary material. In all formations, from trio to quintet, from string orchestra to brass ensemble, Ross succeeds in reconciling two seemingly different musical forms: improvised and composed. While many of his European colleagues consider it a virtue to distance themselves from the mainstream, another camp makes an effort to continue the American jazz tradition in Europe as authentically as possible

Mick Rossi

Pianist, drummer/percussionist, composer and member of the Philip Glass Ensemble and the Paul Simon band, Mick Rossi is known for his diverse, progressive work in the New York Downtown scene, and has been described as “an exemplar of the cross-fertilization between jazz and classical music worlds...the smile-creating mix of humor, surprise, gorgeous sounds and virtuosity...relentlessly pressing, twisting and turning...an assuredness and logic that feel inevitable, despite the almost constant surprises," and "one of the most lucid, original and creative minds of the New York scene, and long-time collaborator with Philip Glass." (All About Jazz)

Michele Rosewoman

Born: March 19, 1953

Michele Rosewoman Artist Bio "No other pianist-composer in jazz brings the music of the African diaspora together quite like Michele Rosewoman. Simply put, she's one of the most creative and fully realized jazz artists on the scene today.” CD NOW Michele Rosewoman, a vanguard and pioneering artist in her field, creates a distinct musical experience by digging deep into her vast reservoir of acoustic modern jazz, sophisticated funk, dynamic electric fusion and elements of Cuban folkloric music. Her command and rich vocabulary elegantly expands the horizons and boundaries of jazz while remaining firmly rooted in tradition

Renee Rosnes

Born: March 24, 1962

Renee Rosnes is one of the premier jazz pianists and composers of her generation. Upon moving to New York City from Vancouver, Canada, she quickly established a reputation of high regard, touring and recording with such masters as Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, Bobby Hutcherson, J.J. Johnson, James Moody, and legendary bassist Ron Carter. She was a charter member of the all-star ensemble, the SFJAZZ Collective, with whom she toured for six years. Ms. Rosnes has released 17 recordings, and has appeared on many others as a sideman. In 2016, Written in the Rocks (Smoke Sessions) was named one of ten Best Jazz Albums of the Year by The Chicago Tribune, one of the Best Albums in all genres of music by The Nation, and was awarded a 2017 Canadian Juno (her fifth Juno award)

Ted Rosenthal

Born: 1959

Ted Rosenthal is one of the leading jazz pianist/composers of his generation. The New Yorker magazine describes him as “a musician’s musician who balances technique and taste.” The Los Angeles Times calls him “a pianist of rarest skill.” Rosenthal actively tours worldwide with his trio and as a soloist. He also has performed with many jazz greats, including Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer, Phil Woods, Bob Brookmeyer, and James Moody.

Winner of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition, Rosenthal has released nineteen CDs as a leader, including a series of 4 new CDs in 2025, featuring his distinctive arrangements of the Great American Songbook, reimaginings of classical themes and original compositions. Rhapsody in Gershwin, which features his arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue for jazz trio, reached #1 in jazz album sales at iTunes and Amazon and received rave reviews: “A musical tour de force” - Audiophile Magazine. Wonderland, was selected as a New York Times holiday pick, and received much critical praise: “Sleek, chic and elegant” – Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune. Impromptu, showcases his reimaginings of classical themes for jazz trio. "A serious listen to Impromptu will be a mind-changing experience...sit back and enjoy these wonderfully creative takes on ten compositions from the classical canon that have never sounded so cool." - Elliott Simon, AllAboutJazz

Alfredo Rodriguez

Born: October 7, 1985

Painted in the broadest of strokes, the stories of Alfredo Rodriguez and Pedrito Martinez may seem similar: both started life in Havana, discovered their gifts and passions for music and headed to the States, where they melded the music of their homeland with a wide variety of influences, each in his own deeply personal way.

Zoom in a little, though, and the two paths differ considerably. Rodriguez was born into a musical family, his father a popular singer and TV host. A child prodigy, he studied classical piano at the prestigious Conservatorio Amadeo Roldán and Instituto Superior de Arte while playing popular music in his father’s orchestra by night. While performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2006 he was discovered by his future mentor and producer, the legendary Quincy Jones.