Results for "piano"

Jean-Michel Pilc

Born: October 19, 1960

Born in 1960 in Paris, France, now also an American and Canadian citizen, self-taught pianist and composer Jean-Michel Pilc has performed with numerous jazz giants: Roy Haynes, Michael Brecker, Dave Liebman, Jean Toussaint, Rick Margitza, Michel Portal, Daniel Humair, Marcus Miller, Kenny Garrett, Lenny White, Chris Potter, John Abercrombie, Mingus Dynasty & Big Band, Lew Soloff, Richard Bona etc. He has also worked with Harry Belafonte, as his musical director and pianist, and has performed a duet with the legendary opera singer Jessye Norman.

Engin Ozsahin

Born: December 3, 1986

Engin Özşahin is a jazz pianist and composer. He was born in 1986 and lived in Istanbul, Turkey until his late twenties. His first musical influence was his grandmother, who played classical piano by Schubert, Rachmaninoff and Chopin. At age 6, Engin started to learn classical piano himself and became very interested in the melodies and harmonies of aforementioned classical composers.

Although music and performing was Engin’s passion, his cultural and family environment which consisted of engineers and architects suggested that these professions were the way to go in life. As a result, he completed mechanical engineering and business administration degrees in Istanbul and worked as a business developer in corporate environments following that.

Live People Ensemble

Active since: 2009

Live People Ensemble is a Moscow-based band that was founded in 2009 by Russian pianist and composer Natalya Skvortsova. They play original music that feels stylistically close to contemporary European jazz, while also incorporating influences from the band members’ personal and cultural backgrounds. The musicians use various elements of jazz and art music tradition, folk and world music, and contemporary rhythmic and harmonic-rhythmic structures to convey emotion and live energy in their music. Live People Ensemble performs both original music written by bandleader Natalya Skvortsova and the other band members, and original arrangements of popular jazz pieces

Gidi Derzy

Born: September 27, 1982

Gidi Derzy was born in to a musical family, started piano lessons in age of 6 with classical music till 13, Also listened to jazz, funk, rock & pop at that time. Then he moved to jazz and other geners he started to compose and arrange his own music. In 17 years old he decided to study in a conservatory on Jazz genre. Gidi graduated 2 jazz conservatory's on the first one he played in a local jazz big band of the conservatory in the north of Israel and the second was in Tel Aviv till the age of 25. ​ Along the way he played with different band's and genres like - blues, jazz, fusion, funk, soul, hip hop, reggae, rock, progressive and more. Gidi recorded & produced couple of albums and singles to different artists in Israel includes his own projects.

Benny Benack III

At the age of 28, Pittsburgh-born, New York-based Jazz trumpeter & singer Benny Benack III has quickly established himself as one of the most versatile and virtuosic voices of his generation. Hailed by the New York Times as “a charismatic young trumpeter who maintains an earnest sideline as a singer”, Benack has a knack for delighting audiences with panache, in the spirit of classic crooners like Sinatra & Mel Tormé, with a nod to legendary trumpet showmen Louis Armstrong & Dizzy Gillespie. Equally comfortable in both Jazz and Pop settings, Benack has worked with some of the greatest acts in music today, touring domestically as a trumpet soloist with Josh Groban, Ben Folds, fashion icon Isaac Mizrahi, as well as European engagements with Jazz Bass extraordinaire Christian McBride

Milana Zilnik

Born: April 14, 1978

Milana is a multi-award winning pianist, composer and singer-songwriter, who has been a performing and recording artist since her childhood. A strong lyricist and composer in her own right, Milana’s style is reminiscent of Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Michael Nyman, Keith Jarret and Chick Corea. Milana enjoys playing by ear, improvising and using whatever inspires her to create her own style of playing. She is known as an adept improviser, catching melodies on the fly and expanding them into her own creations. Milana was born in Ukraine, lived in Israel for many years and moved to Canada in 2008

Thollem McDonas

Born: 1967

Thollem is a perpetually traveling pianist, keyboardist, composer, improviser, singer-songwriter, activist, author and teacher. He's spent most of his life living on the road throughout North America and Europe. His work is ever-changing, evolving and responding to the times and his experiences, both as a soloist and in collaboration with hundreds of artists across idioms and disciplines. Thollem's known internationally as an acoustic piano player in the free jazz and post- classical worlds, as the lead vocalist for the Italian agit-punk band Tsigoti and as an electronic keyboardist through a multitude of projects. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Thollem began playing the piano, composing and improvising as a child, absorbing the sounds of his culturally diverse upbringing

David Witham

Born: November 16, 1957

David Witham studied piano with Jaki Byard at the New England Conservatory of Music, and Alan Broadbent in Los Angeles. He's had writing and performing associations with saxophonist Ernie Watts, bassist / composer Jay Anderson, the Jeff Gauthier Goatette, and percussionist Luis Conte. David was Musical Director for George Benson from 1990-2007, and has also served as a producer for Tom Scott and Grover Washington. Recording and performance credits include Barbra Streisand, Patti Austin, Lee Ritenour, Jose Feliciano, John Patitucci, Bluezeum, Joao Bosco, Larry Carlton, Randy and Michael Brecker

Florian Hoefner

Born: August 29, 1982

Born and raised in Germany, trained in New York City and now based in Canada, Juno Award-winning jazz pianist and composer, Florian Hoefner, draws from a myriad of influences that culminate in his unique brand of modern jazz. Praised as a “composer-bandleader of insightful resolve” by the New York Times and a “harmonically daring pianist … reaching toward new sonic territory” by Downbeat, Florian Hoefner continues to make waves as an inventive creator and performer of exciting contemporary jazz. 

He has released 6 albums under his own name and many more as a sideman. “First Spring,” the debut album with his Canadian trio with Andrew Downing on bass and Nick Fraser on drums has received 2 East Coast Music Awards in 2020 and was nominated for a 2021 JUNO in the category “Jazz Album of the Year: Group.” The trio released its sophomore album, “Desert Bloom” on June 3rd 2022 on Alma Records. It was nominated for 2 East Coast Music Awards and won a Juno Award in 2023. As a touring artist he has played at venues and festivals on 5 different continents and has worked with artists including Kurt Rosenwinkel, Jerry Bergonzi, Norma Winstone, Joe LaBarbera and Seamus Blake. He is the winner of 2 ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Awards and the Stingray Rising Star Award at the Montreal Jazz Festival.

Guido Santoni

Born: December 11

Guido Santoni

Guido Santoni's music exists in the space between melody and silence, composition and improvisation. A pianist and composer deeply connected to the contemporary European jazz tradition, he has developed a personal language where the piano trio becomes a place of balance, interaction and continuous discovery.

At the center of Santoni's work is the idea that sound is not only what is played, but also what surrounds the notes. His compositions reveal a strong melodic identity, a refined sense of dynamics and a constant search for the expressive possibilities of silence and resonance. The result is a music that combines lyrical depth with the freedom of improvisation.