Justin Clay Perry
Encyclopedia
Pinellas County Center for the Arts
Pinellas County Center for the Arts Program AdministratorRalph M. Nurmela M.S.School typePublic / Magnet SchoolReligious affiliationNoneFounded1984LocationSt...
at Gibbs High School in Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay."Tampa Bay" is not the name of any municipality...
where he studied classical and jazz piano and composition. He obtained a Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree; the majority of work consists of prescribed music courses and study in applied music, usually requiring a...
(B.M.) in Jazz Composition from the University of South Florida
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
in Tampa, a Master of Music
Master of Music
The Master of Music is the first graduate degree in Music awarded by universities and music conservatories. The M.Mus. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy...
(M.M.) in Studio Jazz Writing and a Doctor of Musical Arts
Doctor of Musical Arts
The Doctor of Musical Arts degree is a doctoral academic degree in music. The D.M.A. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy. The D.M.A...
(D.M.A.) in Jazz Performance from the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
.
Perry's doctoral essay A Comparative Analysis of Selected Piano Solos by Red Garland
Red Garland
William "Red" Garland was an American hard bop jazz pianist whose block chord style, in part originated by Milt Buckner, influenced many forthcoming pianists in the jazz idiom.-Beginnings:...
, Bill Evans
Bill Evans
William John Evans, known as Bill Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists including: Chick Corea, Herbie...
, Wynton Kelly
Wynton Kelly
Wynton Kelly was a Jamaican-born jazz pianist, who spent his career in the United States. He is perhaps best known for working with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1959-1962.-Biography:...
, and Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
from their Recordings with the Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
Groups, 1955–1968 http://ibisweb.miami.edu/record=b3580613 is being edited for the commercial market under the name The Jazz Pianist: The First 75 Years and will contain bios of 200 jazz pianists from 1890 to 1965 during the periods known as Ragtime, Dixieland, Swing, Bebop, and beyond.
In 1998, Perry was selected Best Jazz Instrumentalist in the U. S. and Canada for Down Beat magazine's 21st Annual Student Music Awards.
As a youngster, Perry studied privately from numerous jazz pianists around the Tampa Bay area including Bossa Nova
Bossa Nova
Bossa Nova may refer to:*Bossa nova, a style of music*Bossa Nova , a dance form associated with the music*Bossa Nova , a 2000 film*Bossa Nova - album by John Pizzarelli...
pioneer Manfredo Fest
Manfredo Fest
Manfredo Irmin Fest was a legally blind bossa nova and jazz pianist and keyboardist from Brazil. He was also a famous bandleader. He was born in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and he died at 63 years old in Tampa Bay, Florida, USA...
and Kamau Kenyetta He was inspired by the playing of Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
, Bill Evans
Bill Evans
William John Evans, known as Bill Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists including: Chick Corea, Herbie...
, and Chick Corea
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer.Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever...
.
As a pianist, Perry has toured with the Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson was a Canadian jazz musician and bandleader. He came to prominence playing in Stan Kenton's orchestra, before forming his own band in 1957...
Big Bop Nouveau
Big Bop Nouveau
Big Bop Nouveau is a band formed in the late 1980s by the late jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson. Originally composed of four trumpets, two trombones and four saxophones plus a rhythm section , it was later reduced to what has become known as the "pocket big band" format, consisting of three...
band and played professionally with Ira Sullivan
Ira Sullivan
Ira Sullivan is a bop jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, flautist, saxophonist and composer born in Washington, D.C.. An active musician since the 1950s, he may be best known for his extensive work with Red Rodney and Lin Halliday among others....
, Red Rodney
Red Rodney
Robert Roland Chudnick , who performed by the stage name Red Rodney, was an American bop and hard bop trumpeter.-Biography:...
, Othello Molineaux and Nat Adderley
Nat Adderley
Nathaniel Adderley was an American jazz cornet and trumpet player who played in the hard bop and soul jazz genres. He was the brother of saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley....
. But he is most known as an arranger for pop, Latin, and jazz recording artists, many of which were Grammy Award nominees and winners. He has been a pianist/keyboardist, arranger, programmer and appeared on the albums of such notables as Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
, Julio Iglesias
Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...
, Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, both on his early solo albums and those recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack...
, Gladys Knight
Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...
, Beyoncé, José Feliciano
José Feliciano
José Feliciano is a Puerto Rican singer, virtuoso guitarist and composer known for many international hits including the 1970 holiday single "Feliz Navidad".-Childhood:...
, Chayanne
Chayanne
Elmer Figueroa Arce , best known under the stage name Chayanne, is a Puerto Rican Latin pop singer and actor. As a solo artist, Chayanne has released 21 solo-albums and sold over 20 million albums worldwide.-Early life:...
, Christian Castro, Cindy Morgan
Cindy Morgan
Cindy Morgan is an American actress best known for her appearances as Lora/Yori in Tron and Lacey Underall in Caddyshack.-Biography:...
, Oscar De La Hoya
Oscar de la Hoya
Oscar De La Hoya is a retired American boxer of Mexican descent. Nicknamed "The Golden Boy", De La Hoya won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympic Games shortly after graduating from Garfield High School. De La Hoya comes from a boxing family. His grandfather Vicente, father Joel Sr., and brother...
, Jennifer Peña
Jennifer Peña
Jennifer Marcella Peña , is an American Latin Pop/Tejano singer and actress who has sold over 3.5 million records internationally. Peña is the third and youngest daughter of Jaime and Mary Peña with other siblings Janet and Jackie...
, Luis Fonsi
Luis Fonsi
Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero, more commonly known by his stage name Luis Fonsi, is a Latin Grammy winning Puerto Rican singer and composer.- Early life :...
, Alejandro Fernández
Alejandro Fernández
Alejandro Fernández is a Mexican singer. Nicknamed as "El Potrillo" by the media and his fans, he has sold over 20 million albums worldwide. Alejandro is the son of the ranchera singer Vicente Fernández. He originally specialized in traditional, earthy forms of Mexican folk music, such as...
, Betzaida
Betzaida
Betzaida is an American singer of Latin pop music. Born in Chicago, Illinois, to Puerto Rican and Mexican parents, Betzaida released her debut self-titled album in 2004 on Fonovisa Records. She first gained fame through her song "La Copa Será Tuya Al Final" which aired on Univision to promote...
, Los Temerarios
Los Temerarios
Los Temerarios are a Mexican romantic music group started in 1978 by brothers Adolfo Angel and Gustavo Angel and their cousin Fernando Angel. During their early years they were known as Conjunto La Brisa....
, Belinda, Pilar Montenegro
Pilar Montenegro
Pilar Montenegro is a Mexican Latin pop singer and actress.-Biography:When Montenegro was 10 years old she landed her first acting part in the TV series Juguemos A Cantar, her career moved along with her becoming a member of Fresas Con Crema for a short time...
, Area 305, Victoria, Jencarlos, and under his own name, has recorded with Arturo Sandoval
Arturo Sandoval
Arturo Sandoval is a jazz trumpeter and pianist. He was born in Artemisa, in the newest renamed Artemisa Province, Cuba....
and Vikki Carr
Vikki Carr
Vikki Carr is an American singer and humanitarian from El Paso, Texas. She has performed in a variety of music genres, including jazz, pop and country, but has enjoyed her greatest success singing in Spanish.-Career:After taking the stage name 'Vikki Carr', she signed with Liberty Records in 1962...
.
In 2007 and early 2008 Perry toured South America, Spain and Mexico as keyboardist for Chayanne
Chayanne
Elmer Figueroa Arce , best known under the stage name Chayanne, is a Puerto Rican Latin pop singer and actor. As a solo artist, Chayanne has released 21 solo-albums and sold over 20 million albums worldwide.-Early life:...
's Mi Tiempo tour. Perry currently resides in Nashville, TN and is touring eastern and western Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas as keyboardist for Julio Iglesias
Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...
's 40th anniversary tour.
External links
- [ Allmusic Profile.]
- Review of Jack Wilkins Ridge Lines.