Ken Skinner
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Skinner Jr. is a jazz
pianist
, head of the group Ken Skinner and the jazzmongers!.
, Quebec
, on June 28, 1962. His father, Kenny Skinner, Sr. (1932–2006) was also a jazz pianist. Kenny Sr. played with Charlie Biddle
, Dougie Richardson, Nelson Symonds
and was the older boy keeping an eye on younger cousins Oliver Jones and Norman Marshall Villeneuve. Kenny Sr. also played with numerous luminaries of jazz legend as they passed through 1950s and 1960s Montreal.
Skinner Jr. studied briefly with Daisy Sweeney
, who is Oscar Peterson
's sister. Their brother, Chuck Peterson, was Ken's godfather. Skinner Jr. proved to be a protege moving through his lessons quickly and finishing his exams with honours. All signs were pointing to young Kenneth having a promising career as a concert pianist. This was cut short when Ken's parents separated in 1970. Not long afterwards, Ken's mother Ramona moved him and his brother Norman to Trenton, Ontario
.
Skinner used the guitar to re-teach himself to talk to his first love, the piano. By the time Ken had graduated high school, he had moved himself out of Trenton to nearby Belleville, Ontario
, where he re-taught himself piano. His first performance on piano was in the local gallery, where he played his own score for the 1925 silent Charlie Chaplin
classic The Gold Rush
.
Ken became the house pianist at Dinkel's Restaurant in Belleville and formed a friendship with Paul W. Dinkel, best known at the time for his Yorkville club PWD's. It was good experience to help Skinner's ability to read a room and play into it. After 2 years Ken moved to Toronto
.
on her production Rainbow World, co-writing music to her lyrics. By 1992 the jazzmongers! were a full-time operation with a house gig at La Calle.
stated that Ken "seems to have an agenda to re-create the Blue Note
sounds of the 60s."
Ken Skinner and the jazzmongers! recordings have showcased jazz players such as Bob Mover
, Kirk MacDonald
, Kevin Turcotte
, Jake Wilkinson and Duncan Hopkins
. Also, Ken has sat in at jam sessions with the likes of Wynton Marsalis
and others. His jazz material can be found on 2 CDs on the Village Jazz label, with inclusion on a compilation CD entitled "Kin Of Kensington" which celebrates the works of musicians living in or have lived in Toronto's Kensington Market
, also One Lucky Piano, produced by JAZZ FM 91 in Toronto featuring a solo performance of Ken's "Littlebird Lied". One Lucky Piano features 16 of Canada's premiere pianists all recorded on the piano formerly housed in the famed "Montreal Bistro" in Toronto.
Skinner's music has been included in 3 feature length films, 2 videos, with numerous appearances on television and radio. Of those films is "Pitch" produced by Kenny Hotz
and Spencer Rice
who now enjoy fame as "Kenny and Spenny". During a period of activity in 1996, he worked rather closely with prima ballerina Kimberley Glasco
, of the National Ballet of Canada
, on two separate projects, one of those being a Bravo! video for "Jombo Memsahb" found on the jazzmongers! first release Stirling Silver. A second video, also for the Bravo! network, "Maroon" is the title track of the jazzmongers! second release, earning Ken the title of Bravo! artist of the week.
The jazzmongers! can be seen in the Warner Brothers film It Takes Two (1995), with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
, Steve Guttenberg
and Kirstie Alley
.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pianist
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, head of the group Ken Skinner and the jazzmongers!.
Montreal
Ken Skinner Jr. was born in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, on June 28, 1962. His father, Kenny Skinner, Sr. (1932–2006) was also a jazz pianist. Kenny Sr. played with Charlie Biddle
Charlie Biddle
Charlie Biddle, otherwise known as Charles Reed Biddle was a Canadian jazz bassist.-Biography:...
, Dougie Richardson, Nelson Symonds
Nelson Symonds
Nelson Symonds was a jazz guitarist from Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia.-Biography:After pursuing the banjo at a young age, Symonds switched to the guitar...
and was the older boy keeping an eye on younger cousins Oliver Jones and Norman Marshall Villeneuve. Kenny Sr. also played with numerous luminaries of jazz legend as they passed through 1950s and 1960s Montreal.
Skinner Jr. studied briefly with Daisy Sweeney
Daisy Sweeney
Daisy Peterson Sweeney is a Canadian music teacher, known for having taught many of the most notable figures in Canadian jazz music....
, who is Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...
's sister. Their brother, Chuck Peterson, was Ken's godfather. Skinner Jr. proved to be a protege moving through his lessons quickly and finishing his exams with honours. All signs were pointing to young Kenneth having a promising career as a concert pianist. This was cut short when Ken's parents separated in 1970. Not long afterwards, Ken's mother Ramona moved him and his brother Norman to Trenton, Ontario
Trenton, Ontario
Trenton is a community in Southern Ontario in the municipality of Quinte West, Ontario, Canada. Located on the Bay of Quinte, it is the main population centre in Quinte West....
.
Trenton to Belleville
He began playing guitar at age 14, but didn't study music until grade 11. While in high school, the music department needed a bass player, so Skinner learned to play it and joined the high school jazz stage band. He then joined local working bands, including the Frank Howard Dance Orchestra and Don Kennedy's Country Renegades.Skinner used the guitar to re-teach himself to talk to his first love, the piano. By the time Ken had graduated high school, he had moved himself out of Trenton to nearby Belleville, Ontario
Belleville, Ontario
Belleville is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in Southern Ontario, Canada, in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. It is the seat of Hastings County, but is politically independent of it. and the centre of the Bay of Quinte Region...
, where he re-taught himself piano. His first performance on piano was in the local gallery, where he played his own score for the 1925 silent Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
classic The Gold Rush
The Gold Rush
The Gold Rush is a 1925 silent film comedy written, produced, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin in his Little Tramp role. The film also stars Georgia Hale, Mack Swain, Tom Murray, Henry Bergman, Malcolm Waite....
.
Ken became the house pianist at Dinkel's Restaurant in Belleville and formed a friendship with Paul W. Dinkel, best known at the time for his Yorkville club PWD's. It was good experience to help Skinner's ability to read a room and play into it. After 2 years Ken moved to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
Toronto
After moving to Toronto, Ken became the keyboardist for a touring rock band named Sister Angel. On particular tunes he played gutar or bass and harmony vocals. It was a time for Ken to write music and lyrics, travel across Canada, and hone his skills as a stage performer. After two years on the road, Ken returned to Toronto where he formed the jazzmongers! in 1989. In 1990 he toured to New York City with Maggie Moore and later worked closely with Salome BeySalome Bey
Salome Bey, CM is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and composer who has lived in Toronto, Ontario since 1966. In 2005, she was made an honorary Member of the Order of Canada....
on her production Rainbow World, co-writing music to her lyrics. By 1992 the jazzmongers! were a full-time operation with a house gig at La Calle.
jazzmongers!
Ken Skinner is probably best known as leader, pianist and chief composer of the successful jazzmongers! His unorthodox approach to piano is rooted in childhood memories of those early lessons and all of the jazz music which he grew up listening to as a child in Montreal, when his father was still playing gigs. Geoff Chapman of the Toronto StarToronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
stated that Ken "seems to have an agenda to re-create the Blue Note
Blue note
In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note sung or played at a slightly lower pitch than that of the major scale for expressive purposes. Typically the alteration is a semitone or less, but this varies among performers and genres. Country blues, in particular, features wide variations from the...
sounds of the 60s."
Ken Skinner and the jazzmongers! recordings have showcased jazz players such as Bob Mover
Bob Mover
Mover, Bob is an alto, tenor and soprano jazz saxophonist and a vocalist. His father was a musician who played professionally including stints with the Charlie Spivak orchestra...
, Kirk MacDonald
Kirk MacDonald (musician)
Kirk MacDonald is a Canadian jazz musician and composer. He has been nominated for four Juno Awards, with his Album “The Atlantic Sessions” winning the 1999 Juno Award for Best Mainstream Jazz Album....
, Kevin Turcotte
Kevin Turcotte
Kevin Turcotte is a trumpet player based in Toronto, Canada. Turcotte is a graduate of the University of Toronto and the Banff School of Fine Arts. He has performed with Mike Murley and Rob McConnell and The Boss Brass, and has recorded with Barry Romberg...
, Jake Wilkinson and Duncan Hopkins
Duncan Hopkins
Duncan Hopkins is an English born jazz composer and musician, playing double bass and electric bass. Hopkins was born in Coventry, West Midlands, his parents both musicians . He started his musical education at Pattison's College in Coventry where his mother taught music. The family then moved to St...
. Also, Ken has sat in at jam sessions with the likes of Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, bandleader, music educator, and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Marsalis has promoted the appreciation of classical and jazz music often to young audiences...
and others. His jazz material can be found on 2 CDs on the Village Jazz label, with inclusion on a compilation CD entitled "Kin Of Kensington" which celebrates the works of musicians living in or have lived in Toronto's Kensington Market
Kensington Market
Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's most well-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. Robert Fulford wrote in 1999 that "Kensington...
, also One Lucky Piano, produced by JAZZ FM 91 in Toronto featuring a solo performance of Ken's "Littlebird Lied". One Lucky Piano features 16 of Canada's premiere pianists all recorded on the piano formerly housed in the famed "Montreal Bistro" in Toronto.
Skinner's music has been included in 3 feature length films, 2 videos, with numerous appearances on television and radio. Of those films is "Pitch" produced by Kenny Hotz
Kenny Hotz
Kenneth Joel "Kenny" Hotz is an award-winning Canadian writer, director, actor, producer and photographer. He is a former South Park consultant/writer, creator/director/co-star of the Showcase and Comedy Central television show Kenny vs...
and Spencer Rice
Spencer Rice
Spencer "Spenny" Nolan Rice is a Canadian writer, director, producer, and comedian. He was the co-star of Kenny vs. Spenny along with Kenny Hotz.-Personal life:...
who now enjoy fame as "Kenny and Spenny". During a period of activity in 1996, he worked rather closely with prima ballerina Kimberley Glasco
Kimberley Glasco
Kimberley Glasco is a Canadian ballerina.In 1998, Glasco launched a wrongful dismissal suit against the National Ballet of Canada instigated because artistic director James Kudelka dropped her from the company roster, allegedly because Glasco had questioned the allocation of funds for Kudelka's...
, of the National Ballet of Canada
National Ballet of Canada
The National Ballet of Canada is Canada's largest ballet troupe. It was founded by Celia Franca in 1951 and is based in Toronto, Ontario. Based upon the unity of Canadian trained dancers in the tradition and style of England's Royal Ballet, The National is regarded as one of the premier classical...
, on two separate projects, one of those being a Bravo! video for "Jombo Memsahb" found on the jazzmongers! first release Stirling Silver. A second video, also for the Bravo! network, "Maroon" is the title track of the jazzmongers! second release, earning Ken the title of Bravo! artist of the week.
The jazzmongers! can be seen in the Warner Brothers film It Takes Two (1995), with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Fuller Olsen are American actresses and entrepreneurs.Both have appeared in television and films since infancy. Since then, they have continued their celebrity through numerous television programs, films, interviews, as well as commercial endorsements...
, Steve Guttenberg
Steve Guttenberg
Steven Robert "Steve" Guttenberg is an American actor and comedian. He became well known during the 1980s, after a series of starring roles in major Hollywood films, including Cocoon, Three Men and a Baby, Police Academy, and Short Circuit.-Early life:Guttenberg was born in Brooklyn, New York, the...
and Kirstie Alley
Kirstie Alley
Kirstie Louise Alley is an American actress known for her role in the TV show Cheers, in which she played Rebecca Howe from 1987–1993, winning an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award as the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1991...
.
Discography
- Live: Stirling Theatre (Village Jazz 9901, 1995)
- Maroon (Village Jazz 9902, 1997)
- Kin of Kensington (Global Sync Media, 1999)
- One Lucky Piano (Timely ManorJaymz BeeJaymz Bee is a Canadian musician, writer and radio personality.-Personal life:Jaymz was born and raised in North Bay, Ontario. He is a graduate of Inglenook Community High School.-Early career:...
, 2007)