Results for "piano"

Champian Fulton

Born: September 12

Born in Oklahoma, Champian is considered one of the most gifted pure Jazz musicians of her generation. She grew up with music in the home; her mother and father (Jazz trumpeter and educator Stephen Fulton) recognized her fascination with music at an early age. The presence of her father’s musician friends, including Clark Terry and Major Holley, inspired her focus on Jazz. Her first paid musical engagement was with her own band at Clark Terry’s 75th Birthday Party; she was 10 years old. Since then, her piano and voice skills have been recognized by peers and critics as distinctive and sophisticated. This young woman from Oklahoma captivates audiences in New York’s finest Jazz rooms and in concert halls around the world.

Lawrence Jordan Bell

Born: February 24, 1987

I am 17 years old and I am a jazz pianist from Newcastle UK. Although I am classicaly trained to grade 8 standard I have also taught myself jazz piano to an equal standard if not more, with a keen interest. I am also a meber of a jazz/blues band called Texas State. The other members are Christopher Denham (Drums/Sax) and Michael Ellison (Acoustic Guitar/Double Bass). We usually get together at least twice a week for a jam or a run through our favourites. We all have quite a lot of experience in performing in musicals and concerts. I have performed in several concerts for Yamaha Music School, which I studied with from 1995 -1997. I play a mixture of contemporary and classics and I also add a few of my own compositions

George Shearing

Born: August 13, 1919

George Shearing enjoys an international reputation as a pianist, arranger and composer. Equally at home on the concert stage as in jazz clubs, Shearing is recognized for inventive, orchestrated jazz. He has written over 300 compositions, including the classic “Lullaby of Birdland,” which has become a jazz standard. Shearing was born in 1919 in the Battersea area of London. Congenitally blind, he was the youngest of nine children. His father delivered coal and his mother cleaned trains at night after caring for the children during the day. His only formal musical education consisted of four years of study at the Linden Lodge School for the Blind. While his talent won him a number of university scholarships, he was forced to refuse them in favor of a more financially productive pursuit…playing piano in a neighborhood pub for the handsome salary of $5 a week! Shearing joined an all-blind band in the 1930’s. At that time he developed a friendship with the noted jazz critic and author, Leonard Feather. Through this contact, he made his first appearance on BBC radio. In 1947, Mr. Shearing moved to America, where he spent two years establishing his fame on this side of the Atlantic. The Shearing Sound commanded national attention when, in 1949, he gathered a quintet to record “September in the Rain” for MGM. The record was an overnight success and sold 900,000 copies. His U.S. reputation was permanently established when he was booked into Birdland, the legendary jazz spot in New York. Since then, he has become one of the country’s most popular performing and recording artist. In 1982 and 1983 he won Grammy Awards with recordings he made with Mel Torme. Mr. Shearing was the subject of an hour-long television documentary entitled “The Shearing Touch” presented on the Southbank Show with Melvyn Bragg on ITV in the UK. Three presidents have invited Mr. Shearing to play at the White House.. Ford, Carter and Reagan. He performed at the Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He is a member of the Friars Club and the Lotos Club in New York and the Bohemian Club in San Francisco. His awards and honors are many. In May 1975, he received an honorary degree of Doctor of Music from Westminster College in Salt Lake City. In May of 1994, Hamilton College in upstate New York awarded him another honorary doctorate in music. DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana presented him with an honorary doctorate of music on June 1, 2002. He received the prestigious Horatio Alger Award for Distinguished Americans in 1978 and a community recreational facility in Battersea, south London, was named the George Shearing Centre in his honor. In May of 1993, he was presented with the British equivalent of the Grammy…the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement. In June of 1996, Mr. Shearing was included in the Queen’s Birthday Honors List and on November 26, 1996 he was invested by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his “service to music and Anglo-US relations.” He was presented the first American Music Award by the National Arts Club, New York City, in March of 1998. In 1999, his 80^th birthday was celebrated in England where he played to a sold-out house at the Birmingham Symphony Hall. Also appearing with him were the BBC Big Band, the strings of the London Symphony, Dame Cleo Laine and John Dankworth. BBC Radio 2 presented a 2 1/2-hour “Salute to Shearing” in honor of his birthday. The following year another sold-out house at Carnegie Hall was treated to his birthday celebration featuring the George Shearing Quintet with Nancy Wilson, Dave Brubeck, Dr. Billy Taylor, the John Pizzarelli Trio, Tito Puente and Peter Schickele who brought a special greeting from PDQ Bach! Mr. Shearing’s biography, “Lullaby of Birdland,” published by Continuum, was released February 2005. In conjunction with the autobiography release Concord Records released a composite of Shearing recordings in a 2-CD set entitled “Lullabies of Birdland.: A Musical Autobiography” which was immediately followed up with “Hopeless Romantics” with Michael Feinstein. Concord then released the collectors set Mel Tormé & George Shearing The Concord Years. Mr. Shearing’s popularity continues to rise.

Hercules Gomez

Ron Kobayashi

Born: February 8, 1962

Pianist and composer Ron Kobayashi has performed with a variety of musical artists including Mel Torme, Kenny Burrell, Peter Frampton, Tom Scott, Margaret Whiting, Peter White, Najee, Wilton Felder and comedian Bob Saget.  For five years Ron served as musical director for the Hollywood Diversity Awards where such stars as Chris Rock, Mark Ruffalo and George Lopez were honored.  Ron has made numerous television appearances including on The Johnny Yune Show, The Jerry Lewis Telethon, The CBS News with Dan Rather, American Stars, the CBS Television series All Rise and with Jackee Harris on "Life After" on the TVONE Network.  In 1992, Ron performed for President Bill Clinton.

Gerry L. Wright

Born: March 18, 1934

Dave Fox

Born: February 13, 1955

In his career, the inventive keyboardist-composer Dave Fox has created a distinctive and appealing musical personality along with more than his share of memorable music. He is easily recognizable whether playing modern mainstream jazz, avant-garde explorations, rock or original classical pieces.

Dave first became interested in becoming a jazz musician when he heard Chick Corea on one of the early Return To Forever albums. He earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in classical music, developing his jazz chops on his own. Since 1996 he has taught at Greensboro College in Greensboro, North Carolina. One of Dave's recordings as a jazz musician is as a sideman on The Greg Hyslop Trio, a set from 2000 that mostly consists of inventive versions of standards.

Jack Van Poll

Born: November, 1934

Jack van Poll was born in 1934 in Roosendaal, Holland. He started playing piano at the age of four. After the liberation of the Second World War in 1945, he discovered the first Bebop tunes on V-discs and on the American Forces Network Channel. With his teen age trio "The Rose Valley's", he took part in the Dutch Jazz Competition in Amsterdam in 1946. From the early Fifties on, he backed up single artists from the U.S.A., who performed in Holland and Belgium, like Don Byas, Ben Webster, Johnny Griffin, Clark Terry, Tony Scott, Ted Curson, Buddy DeFranco and many others. In the late seventies he opened the "September Jazz Club" in Antwerp, Belgium

Heather Bennett

Born: April 15, 1971

Heather Bennett Pianist/Vocalist/Composer/Band Leader 702 49th St Apt 1F Brooklyn, NY 11220 917-769-5417 718-871-2066 Email: [email protected] www.heatherbennett.net Biography Jazz pianist/composer Heather Bennett has recently released her fifth recording as a leader. "Reflections on Red,” produced by Apria Records, is a mix of acoustic and electric sounds showcasing Ms. Bennett's original music. Her new lineup of musicians includes: Donny McCaslin on flutes and saxophones; Pete McCann on guitar; Mike Pope on bass; and Ari Hoenig on drums. In addition to her acoustic piano playing, this recording features Ms

Mark Isaacs

Born: June 22, 1958

Mark Isaacs is an internationally acclaimed composer, pianist, conductor, film composer and songwriter whose work spans classical music, jazz and popular music. His work is distinguished by a lifelong commitment to imagination, craftsmanship and communication.

Isaacs has composed 135 works, many commissioned by Australia’s most distinguished orchestras, ensembles and musicians. His output includes three symphonies, six concertos, chamber, choral, vocal and solo works. He has received major awards including three Australia Council Fellowships, the APRA AMCOS/AMC Classical Music Award, the Albert H Maggs Composition Award and the Jean Bogan Prize for Piano Composition.