List of jazz pianists
Encyclopedia
This is an alphabetized list of notable musicians who play or played jazz piano
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Jazz piano
Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instrument's combined melodic and harmonic capabilities...
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- Muhal Richard AbramsMuhal Richard AbramsMuhal Richard Abrams is an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the Free jazz medium. Abrams compresses both contemporary and traditional ideas into lean, elegant pieces.- Biography :Abrams attended DuSable High School in Chicago...
(1930– ) - Beegie AdairBeegie AdairBeegie Adair is a jazz pianist. She studied piano at Western Kentucky University. She moved to Nashville, Tennessee where she did graduate work at Peabody College. She later went on to form the Beegie Adair Trio....
- Kei AkagiKei Akagiis a Japanese American jazz pianist most known as a sideman. In particular he is known for his work with the Airto Moreira/Flora Purim group and in Miles Davis's band in the late 1980s and early 1990s....
(1953– ) - Toshiko AkiyoshiToshiko Akiyoshiis a Japanese American jazz pianist, composer/arranger and bandleader. Among a very few successful female instrumentalists of her generation in jazz, she is also recognized as a major figure in jazz composition. She has received 14 Grammy nominations, and she was the first woman to win the Best...
(1929– ) - Joe AlbanyJoe AlbanyJoseph Albani, known as Joe Albany was an American jazz pianist. He was among the few white pianists to have played bebop with Charlie Parker....
(1924–1988) - Tony AlessTony AlessAnthony Alessandrini, better known by his stage name Tony Aless was an American jazz pianist....
(1921– ) - Monty AlexanderMonty AlexanderMonty Alexander is a jazz pianist and melodica player. His playing has a strong Caribbean influence and swinging feeling, but he has also been influenced by Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Wynton Kelly, and Ahmad Jamal.-Biography:Alexander discovered the piano at the age of 4, taking classical music...
(1944– ) - Geri AllenGeri AllenGeri Allen is an American composer/pianist educator jazz pianist, raised in Detroit, Michigan, and educated in the Detroit Public Schools. Allen has worked with many of the greats of modern music, including Ornette Coleman, Ron Carter, Ravi Coltrane, Tony Williams, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette,...
(1957– ) - Mose AllisonMose AllisonMose John Allison, Jr. is an American jazz blues pianist and singer.-Biography:...
(1927– ) - Helio AlvesHelio AlvesHelio Alves is a jazz pianist and son of pianists. He moved to Boston, Massachusetts at 18 and studied at the Berklee College of Music. He stayed in Boston until age 24 when he moved to New York City on advice from a friend...
- Albert AmmonsAlbert AmmonsAlbert Ammons was an American pianist. Ammons was a player of boogie-woogie, a bluesy jazz style popular from the late 1930s into the mid 1940s.-Life and career:...
(1907–1949) - Franck AmsallemFranck AmsallemFranck Amsallem is a French jazz pianist, composer and also singer. He was born in 1961 in Oran, then in French Algeria, but grew up in Nice, France.He started learning the piano at age 7 and also took up the classical saxophone at the local conservatory...
(1961– ) - Chris AndersonChris Anderson (piano)Chris Anderson was a jazz pianist who might be best known as an influence on Herbie Hancock....
- Bill AnschellBill AnschellBill Anschell is a Jazz pianist and composer. He has recorded five CDs as a leader, and performed or recorded with a host of other top jazz players including Lionel Hampton, Nnenna Freelon, Tierney Sutton, Russell Malone, Richard Davis, Russell Gunn, Ron Carter, and many other greats...
- Lil Hardin ArmstrongLil Hardin ArmstrongLil Hardin Armstrong was a jazz pianist, composer, arranger, singer, and bandleader, and the second wife of Louis Armstrong with whom she collaborated on many recordings in the 1920s....
(1898–1971) - Lynne ArrialeLynne ArrialeLynne Arriale is an American jazz pianist. She was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She received her Master's Degree from the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and in her initial training was classical. However her interest in the works of Keith Jarrett and Herbie Hancock led her to jazz. She gained...
(1957– ) - Roy AssafRoy AssafRoy Assaf is a New York based jazz pianist and composer. Born in Beer Sheba, he studied at Tel Aviv Conservatory, Berklee College of Music and Manhattan School of Music, from which he received an MA in May, 2008. In 2008, he was one of 21 individuals to receive an American Society of Composers,...
- Fahir AtakoğluFahir AtakogluFahir Atakoğlu is a Turkish pianist and composer who has worked with a wide range of artists across many genres of music, ranging in style from symphonic scoring to advertising jingles. He was born in Istanbul, Turkey.-Early life:...
- Lovie AustinLovie AustinLovie Austin was an American Chicago bandleader, session musician, composer, and arranger during the 1920s classic blues era. She and Lil Hardin Armstrong are often ranked as two of the best female jazz blues piano players of the period...
(1887–1972) - Franck AvitabileFranck AvitabileFranck Avitabile is a jazz pianist who has a master's degree in mathematics from the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon....
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- Rafig BabayevRafig BabayevRafig Farzi oglu Babayev was an Azerbaijani jazz composer and pianist. In 1978 he was conferred the title of Honoured Artist and in 1993 the title of National Artist of Azerbaijan....
(1937–1994) - Noah BaermanNoah BaermanNoah Baerman is jazz pianist who began studying piano at age eight. He studied at the ACES Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven and Jackie McLean’s Artists Collective, Inc. in Hartford. He earned his bachelor's and Master's degrees in jazz studies from the Mason Gross School of the Arts...
- Jon BallantyneJon BallantyneJon Ballantyne is a Jazz musician, composer, artist, and piano player who now resides in New York City, USA.-Biography:...
(1963– ) - Steve BarakattSteve BarakattSteve Barakatt is a Canadian composer, music producer, pianist, and singer. When he was only four, he fell under the spell of music and began piano lessons...
(1973– ) - Patricia BarberPatricia Barber-Discography:* Split Premonition Records * Distortion of Love Antilles * Cafe Blue Blue Note, Premonition Records * Modern Cool Blue Note, Premonition Records...
(1956– ) - Kenny BarronKenny BarronKenny Barron , is an American jazz pianist. He is the younger brother of tenor saxophonist Bill Barron, and known for his lyrical, adaptive style.-Biography:...
(1943– ) - Bruce BarthBruce BarthBruce Barth, born September 7, 1958 in Pasadena, California, is a jazz pianist. He has played the piano since the age of five. Barth's career had included major work with ensembles, as well as solo work...
(1958- ) - Count BasieCount BasieWilliam "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
(1904–1984) - Django BatesDjango BatesDjango Bates , is a composer, multi-instrumentalist and band leader. He plays the piano, keyboards and the tenor horn. He currently lives in Copenhagen where he is a professor at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory and leader of the StoRMChaser orchestra.-Career:Django Bates was born in Beckenham,...
(1960– ) - Jonathan BatisteJonathan BatisteJonathan Batiste is a musician, educator and entertainer from Kenner, Louisiana, United States.-Biography:Jonathan is a member of a long lineage of musicians from the Batiste family of Louisiana. He was introduced to music by his family's band, the Batiste Brothers Band, in which he played...
(1986– ) - Stefano BattagliaStefano BattagliaStefano Battaglia is an Italian classical and jazz pianist.He has played extensively on the international circuit, performing as a soloist with the European Youth Orchestra in Barcelona , and winning the "J.S...
(1965– ) - Gordon BeckGordon BeckGordon James Beck was an English jazz pianist.Beck was born in Brixton, London, and attended Pinner County Grammar School . He studied piano in his youth, but decided to go into a career as an engineering technical draughtsman...
(1935– ) - Jim BeardJim BeardJames Arthur Beard is an American jazz pianist and keyboardist, contemporary instrumental composer, arranger and record producer.- Life and career :...
(1960– ) - Richie BeirachRichie BeirachRichard "Richie" Beirach is a jazz pianist and composer born in New York City.He initially studied both classical and jazz before entering the Berklee College of Music....
(1947– ) - Marco BeneventoMarco BeneventoMarco Benevento is a pianist, organist and composer from Brooklyn, New York. Benevento is known for his effected piano work with his trio as well as his Hammond Organ and Wurlitzer Electric Piano work with the Benevento Russo Duo...
(1977– ) - David Benoit (1953– )
- Shelly BergShelly BergShelton Glen Berg is a jazz pianist from Cleveland, Ohio. His father was trumpet player Jay Berg. At the age of six Shelly Berg entered the Cleveland Institute of Music studying classical piano...
(1955- ) - Borah BergmanBorah BergmanBorah Bergman is an American free jazz pianist.Bergman learned clarinet as a child, and did not commence studies on piano until adulthood. He developed his left hand playing to the point where he became essentially ambidextrous as a pianist, and can play equally fast in both hands...
(1933– ) - David BerkmanDavid BerkmanDavid Berkman, born December 28, 1958 is a jazz pianist, composer, arranger and educator. Berkman came of age in Cleveland, Ohio playing in house bands for visiting jazz greats Sonny Stitt, Hank Crawford and Carter Jefferson and local heroes Joe Lovano, Jamey Haddad and Greg Bandy...
(1958– ) - Mark BermanMark BermanMark Berman is a New York City pianist, composer, producer, conductor, music director and arranger.-Music career:Berman has performed with Aretha Franklin, Blood Sweat & Tears, Carole King, Gladys Knight, Hugh Jackman, Illinois Jacquet, Ben E King, Jackie McLean, Cornelius Bumpus, Buster...
- Warren BernhardtWarren BernhardtWarren Bernhardt is a noted pianist in jazz, pop and classical music.His father was a pianist, leading him to have early childhood exposure to piano, and he learned some rudiments of keyboarding from his friends. At five his parents moved to New York City where he began studying seriously under...
(1938– ) - Walter Bishop, Jr.Walter Bishop, Jr.Walter Bishop, Jr. was an American bop and hard bop jazz pianist.He was the son of composer Walter Bishop, Sr.. In high school his friends included Kenny Drew, Sonny Rollins, and Art Taylor...
(1927–1998) - Ketil BjørnstadKetil BjørnstadKetil Bjørnstad is a Norwegian pianist and composer. Initially trained as a classical pianist, Bjørnstad discovered jazz at an early age and has embraced the emergence of "European jazz"....
(1952– ) - Miles BlackMiles BlackMiles Black is a multi-instrumentalist and producer residing in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.- Biography :Miles Black was born in Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada. He started playing piano at age 12...
(1936– ) - Eubie BlakeEubie BlakeJames Hubert Blake was an American composer, lyricist, and pianist of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. In 1921, Blake and long-time collaborator Noble Sissle wrote the Broadway musical Shuffle Along, one of the first Broadway musicals to be written and directed by African Americans...
(1883–1983) - Ran BlakeRan BlakeRan Blake is an American pianist and composer from Springfield, Massachusetts. In a career that spans five decades, Blake has created a unique niche in improvised music as an artist and educator...
(1935– ) - Paul BleyPaul BleyPaul Bley, CM is a pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing.-Biography:...
(1932– ) - Carla BleyCarla BleyCarla Bley, née Borg, is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and band leader. An important figure in the Free Jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera Escalator Over The Hill , as well as a book of compositions that have been performed by many other...
(1938– ) - Jimmy BlytheJimmy BlytheJimmy Blythe was an influential American jazz and boogie-woogie pianist.-Life:He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, and moved to Chicago, Illinois around 1916, studying with pianist Clarence Jones...
(1901–1931) - Stefano BollaniStefano BollaniStefano Bollani is an Italian jazz pianist from Milan.He made his professional debut at fifteen and received his diploma in piano from the Conservatorio Luigi Cherubini in Florence. He performs classical music, smooth jazz, avant-garde jazz, Brazilian jazz, and pop rock...
- Claude BollingClaude BollingClaude Bolling , is a renowned French jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and occasional actor.He was born in Cannes, studied at the Nice Conservatory, then in Paris. A child prodigy, by age 14 he was playing jazz piano professionally, with Lionel Hampton, Roy Eldridge, and Kenny Clarke...
(1930– ) - Joe BonnerJoe BonnerJoe Bonner is a jazz pianist who is featured in The Bonner Party, a jazz quartet.He was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina and studied at Virginia State College, but indicates he learned more by musicians he worked with. In the seventies he played with Roy Haynes, Freddie Hubbard, and Billy...
(1948– ) - James BookerJames BookerJames Carroll Booker III was a jazz, New Orleans rhythm and blues and soul musician born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.-Biography:...
(1939–1983) - Thomas BorinoThomas BorinoThomas Borino is a jazz pianist and organist who currently leads the band Airborne. His influences include Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, and Luther Vandross. His style is smooth jazz and straight ahead jazz.-External links:*...
- Michiel BorstlapMichiel BorstlapMichiel Borstlap is a Dutch jazz pianist and composer.Borstlap started playing piano at the age of 5 years....
(1966– ) - Ivan BožičevićIvan BozicevicIvan Božičević is a Croatian composer, pianist, organist and jazz musician.-Biography:Božičević was born in Belgrade. After initial piano studies, joins the composition class of A. Obradović at the Belgrade Faculty of Music. Graduates in 1984, earns a Master's degree in 1989...
(1961– ) - Joanne BrackeenJoanne BrackeenJoanne Brackeen is an American jazz pianist and music educator.-Biography:She was born Joanne Grogan in Ventura, California. She attended the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music, but devoted herself to jazz by imitating Frankie Carle albums...
(1938– ) - David Braid (1975– )
- Alan BroadbentAlan BroadbentAlan Broadbent, MNZM , is a jazz pianist, arranger and composer best known for his work with artists such as Woody Herman, Diane Schuur, Chet Baker, Irene Kral, Sheila Jordan, Charlie Haden, Warne Marsh, Bud Shank, and many others.Broadbent studied piano and music theory in his own country, but in...
(1947– ) - Charles BrownCharles Brown (musician)Charles Brown , born in Texas City, Texas was an American blues singer and pianist whose soft-toned, slow-paced blues-club style influenced the development of blues performance during the 1940s and 1950s...
(1922–1999) - Donald BrownDonald Brown (musician)Donald Ray Brown is an American jazz pianist.Brown was raised in Memphis, Tennessee, where he learned to play trumpet and drums in his youth. From 1972 to 1975 he was a student at Memphis State University, by which time he had made piano his primary instrument...
(1954- ) - Vernell Brown, Jr.Vernell Brown, Jr.Vernell Brown, Jr. born August 13, 1971 is a jazz and Rhythm & Blues pianist.He started on piano at four, but from six to thirteen he switched to drums. He returned to piano later in his teens which led to his being discovered by Jerry Moss. In 1988 and 1989 he was a finalist at the Thelonious Monk...
(1971- ) - Dave BrubeckDave BrubeckDavid Warren "Dave" Brubeck is an American jazz pianist. He has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". Brubeck's style ranges from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills...
(1920– ) - Rainer BrüninghausRainer BrüninghausRainer Brüninghaus is a German jazz pianist and composer.Born in Bad Pyrmont, Germany, Brüninghaus began in the jazz rock group Eiliff. In 1973 he joined the band of German jazz guitarist Volker Kriegel. In 1975 with bassist Eberhard Weber and Charlie Mariano he formed the band Colours...
(1949– ) - Gary BrunotteGary BrunotteGary Brunotte is an American post-bop jazz musician, noted as a pianist, organist, music arranger, and composer....
(1948– ) - Ray BryantRay BryantRaphael Homer "Ray" Bryant was an American Jazz pianist and composer.-Biography:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ray Bryant began playing the piano at the age of six, also performing on bass in junior High School...
(1931– ) - Milt BucknerMilt BucknerMilt Buckner was an American jazz pianist and organist, originally from St. Louis, Missouri. He was orphaned as a child, but an uncle in Detroit taught him to play...
(1915–1977) - Alex BugnonAlex BugnonAlex Bugnon is a jazz pianist and composer from Montreux, Switzerland.Bugnon studied at the Paris Conservatory and the Mozart Academy in Salzburg. At age nineteen, he moved to the U.S...
(1958– ) - John BunchJohn BunchJohn Bunch was an American jazz pianist.-Biography:Born and raised in Tipton, Indiana, a small farming community, he studied piano with George Johnson, a well-known Hoosier jazz pianist...
(1921–2010) - Markus BurgerMarkus BurgerMarkus Burger is a German pianist, composer and music educator currently residing in Santa Monica, California, who teaches at Los Angeles City College and Fullerton College in Los Angeles...
(1966– ) - Ralph BurnsRalph BurnsRalph Burns was an American songwriter, bandleader, composer, conductor, arranger and bebop pianist.-Early life:...
(1922–2001) - Dave BurrellDave BurrellDavis Burrell is an American jazz instrumentalist, most notably on the piano. He has worked for many jazz musicians including Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders, Marion Brown and David Murray.- Biography :...
(1944– ) - Terry BurrusTerry BurrusTerrance Corley Burrus is an American keyboardist and composer.Born in Brooklyn, New York, he started touring as a teenager playing with jazz fusion violinist Michał Urbaniak, singer Jean Carne, while still in High school in New York...
- Joe BushkinJoe BushkinJoe Bushkin was an American jazz pianist.He began his career by playing trumpet and piano with New York City dance bands. He joined Bunny Berigan's band in 1935, then left to join Muggsy Spanier's Ragtime Band in 1939. From the late 1930s through to the late 1940s he also worked with Eddie Condon...
(1916–2004) - Henry ButlerHenry ButlerHenry Butler is an American jazz pianist.He is known for his technique and his ability to play in many styles of music. Referred to by Dr...
(1949– ) - Jaki ByardJaki ByardJaki Byard was an American jazz pianist and composer who also played trumpet and saxophone, among several other instruments. He was noteworthy for his eclectic style, incorporating everything from ragtime and stride to free jazz...
(1922–1999)
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- George CablesGeorge CablesGeorge Andrew Cables is a jazz pianist, born November 14, 1944 in New York City.He has played with Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper, and others.His own recordings include the 1980 Cables Vision with Freddie Hubbard among others....
(1944– ) - Michael CainMichael CainMichael Cain is a pianist and composer.- Biography :Michael Cain first started playing the piano at the age of four and was quickly improvising and composing...
(1966– ) - Uri CaineUri CaineUri Caine is an American classical and jazz pianist and composer.-Early years:The son of Burton Caine, a professor at Temple Law School, Caine began playing piano at seven and studied with French jazz pianist Bernard Peiffer at 12. He later studied at the University of Pennsylvania where he came...
(1956– ) - Joey CalderazzoJoey CalderazzoJoey Calderazzo is a jazz pianist.Inspired by a friend who lived next door, Calderazzo began his piano studies at age seven. He progressed rapidly in a house where other family members were also playing drums and singing, and at 14 became the youngest member of brother Gene Calderazzo's rock band...
(1965– ) - Michel CamiloMichel CamiloMichel Camilo is a pianist and composer from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He specializes in jazz, Latin and classical piano work...
(1954– ) - John CampbellJohn Campbell (jazz pianist)John Campbell is a jazz pianist born July 7, 1955 in Bloomington, Illinois. He studied piano privately as a youth, then attended University High School and, briefly, Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois before moving to Chicago in the mid 70s, then to New York in the...
(1955– ) - Hoagy CarmichaelHoagy CarmichaelHoward Hoagland "Hoagy" Carmichael was an American composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader. He is best known for writing "Stardust", "Georgia On My Mind", "The Nearness of You", and "Heart and Soul", four of the most-recorded American songs of all time.Alec Wilder, in his study of the...
(1899–1981) - Roberto CarnevaleRoberto CarnevaleRoberto Carnevale is an Italian composer, pianist and conductor.- Biography and career :Born in Catania, he started studying piano at the age of seven. He took a degree in Arts at the University of Catania and he attended the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena...
(1966– ) - Barbara Carroll (1925– )
- Marc CaryMarc CaryMarc Cary is a post bop jazz pianist based out of New York City. Cary has played and recorded with several well-known musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie, Betty Carter, Arthur Taylor, Abbey Lincoln, Erykah Badu, Meshell Ndegeocello, Stefon Harris, Lauryn Hill, Ani DiFranco, Jackie McLean, and...
- Dick CaryDick CaryDick Cary was an American jazz pianist, trumpet and alto horn player, and prolific arranger and composer....
(1916–1994) - Bill CharlapBill CharlapWilliam Morrison Charlap is a jazz pianist born October 15, 1966 in New York City.Bill Charlap comes from a musical background and is a distant cousin to famed jazz pianist Dick Hyman. His mother, Sandy Stewart , is a singer who had a hit in 1962 with My Coloring Book, while his father was Broadway...
(1966– ) - Ray CharlesRay CharlesRay Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
(1930–2004) - Cyrus ChestnutCyrus ChestnutCyrus Chestnut is an American jazz pianist, songwriter, and producer. In 2006, Josh Tyrangiel, music critic for Time Magazine, wrote: "What makes Chestnut the best jazz pianist of his generation is a willingness to abandon notes and play space." Chestnut enjoys mixing styles and resists being...
(1963– ) - Billy Childs (1957– )
- Herman ChittisonHerman ChittisonHerman "Ivory" Chittison was an American jazz pianist.He began in Zack Whyte's band in 1928. In his early days he worked with Ethel Waters, Adelaide Hall, and Clarence Williams. In the mid-1930s he was associated with Willie Lewis's band and toured Europe with them...
(1908–1967) - Peter CincottiPeter CincottiPeter Cincotti is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He attended the Horace Mann School and Columbia University.-Biography:...
(1983– ) - Sarah Jane CionSarah Jane Cion-Biography:Sarah Jane Cion received the Boston Jazz Society Award in 1988. She graduated from the New England Conservatory in 1990. In 1991, she was chosen as one of four pianists to attend the Banff School of Fine Arts, with faculty of Steve Coleman, Rufus Reid, Kevin Eubanks, Marvin Smith, Kenny...
- Alan ClareAlan ClareAlan Clare A self-taught pianist, he became a professional musician at the age of 15 and during the next few years became a familiar figure on the London jazz scene....
(1921–1993) - Sonny ClarkSonny ClarkConrad Yeatis "Sonny" Clark was an American jazz pianist who mainly worked in the hard bop idiom.-Biography:...
(1931–1963) - Mathias ClausMathias Claus- Education :Education as jazz pianist at Musikhochschule Hamburg, studies withProf. Dr. Dieter Glawischnig, diploma with excellence in 1989. Furtherstudies with Ray Santisi at the famous Berklee College of Music in...
(1956– ) - Gerald ClaytonGerald ClaytonGerald William Clayton is a jazz pianist and composer born in Utrecht, Netherlands, and raised in Southern California. He is the son of bassist/bandleader John Clayton and the nephew of multi-instrumentalist wind player Jeff Clayton.-Biography:...
(1984– ) - John CocuzziJohn CocuzziJohn Cocuzzi is an American jazz, blues, and swing musician who specializes the vibraphone and piano, as well as drums. His primary influences on vibraphone are Lionel Hampton and Red Norvo, while his piano playing is influenced by piano greats from both the jazz and blues worlds.Cocuzzi is...
(1964– ) - Dolo CokerDolo CokerCharles Mitchell “Dolo” Coker Charles Mitchell “Dolo” Coker Charles Mitchell “Dolo” Coker (November 16, 1927 – April 13, 1983 was a jazz pianist and composer who recorded four albums for Xanadu Records and extensively as a sideman, for artists like Sonny Stitt, Gene Ammons, Lou Donaldson, Art...
(1927–1983) - Nat "King" ColeNat King ColeNathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
(1917–1965) - John ColianniJohn ColianniJohn Colianni is an American Jazz pianist, soloist, band leader, recording artist and accompanist. Recorded John Colianni Blues-O-Matic and Live at the Maybeck for Concord Records. Two Three other records followed, the latest being "Johnny Chops," recorded with his quintet...
(1962– ) - George ColliganGeorge ColliganGeorge Colligan is a New York-based jazz pianist, organist, drummer, trumpet player, educator, composer and bandleader. He was born in New Jersey, and raised in a suburb of Baltimore, Maryland. He attended the Peabody Institute, majoring in classical trumpet and music education...
(1969– ) - Alice ColtraneAlice ColtraneAlice Coltrane, née McLeod was an American jazz pianist, organist, harpist, and composer.-Biography:...
(1948–2007) - Harry Connick, Jr.Harry Connick, Jr.Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr. is an American singer, big-band leader/conductor, pianist, actor, and composer. He has sold over 25 million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top 60 best-selling male artists in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with...
(1967– ) - Marc CoplandMarc CoplandMarc Copland is an American jazz pianist and composer.Copland became part of the jazz scene in Philadelphia in the early 1960s as a saxophonist, and later moved to New York where he experimented with electric alto saxophone...
(1948– ) - Chick CoreaChick CoreaArmando 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...
(1941– ) - Glenn CorneilleGlenn CorneilleGlenn Corneille was a Dutch jazz pianist. He studied at the Conservatory of Maastricht graduating in 1995 as a teacher...
(1970–2005) - Tom CosterTom CosterTom Coster is an American keyboardist and composer. Detroit-born and San Francisco-raised, Coster played piano and accordion as a youth, continuing his studies through college and a productive five-year stint as a musician in the U.S...
(1941– ) - Sylvie CourvoisierSylvie CourvoisierSylvie Courvoisier is a Swiss composer and pianist.Courvoisier was born and raised in Switzerland. In 1998, she moved to Brooklyn, New York, where she currently resides. She co-leads the Sylvie Courvoisier/Mark Feldman Quartet and leads her own quintet, Lonelyville, and the Trio Abaton...
(1968– ) - Stanley CowellStanley CowellStanley Cowell is an American jazz pianist and founder of the Strata-East Records label. He played with Roland Kirk while studying at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and later with Marion Brown, Max Roach, Bobby Hutcherson, Clifford Jordan, Harold Land, Sonny Rollins and Stan Getz...
(1941– ) - Neil CowleyNeil CowleyNeil Cowley is a contemporary jazz pianist who previous incarnations include Fragile State, The Green Nuns of the Revolution, and the recently formed Neil Cowley Trio that appeared on Jools Holland in April 2008 and won the 2007 BBC Jazz Award for best album, "Displaced".-Biography:Cowley began...
(1972– ) - Dan CrayDan CrayDan Cray is a jazz pianist most associated with Chicago. He graduated from Northwestern University in 1999 and founded the Dan Cray Trio. This trio has had three albums; Who Cares , No One , and Save Us . He has also performed at political galas for Richard M. Daley and George Ryan. He studied...
(1977– ) - Marilyn CrispellMarilyn CrispellMarilyn Crispell is an American jazz pianist and composer.-Biography:Crispell studied classical piano and composition at the New England Conservatory of Music. She has been a resident of Woodstock, NY since 1977 when she came to study and teach at Karl Berger's Creative Music Studio...
(1947– ) - Connie CrothersConnie CrothersConnie Crothers is a jazz pianist. She majored in music at the University of California, Berkeley before becoming a student of Lennie Tristano. After his death she became President of the Lennie Tristano Jazz Foundation...
(1941– ) - Brian CulbertsonBrian CulbertsonBrian Culbertson is a musician and instrumentalist from Decatur, Illinois, United States. Son of jazz band director and trumpeter Jim Culbertson, Brian's instruments include the keyboard and trombone....
(1973– ) - Jamie CullumJamie CullumJamie Cullum is an English pop and jazz-pop singer-songwriter. Though he is primarily a vocalist/pianist he also accompanies himself on other instruments including guitar and drums. Since April 2010, he has been presenting a weekly jazz show on BBC Radio 2, broadcast on Tuesdays from 19:00.- Early...
(1979– ) - Bill CunliffeBill CunliffeBill Cunliffe is an American jazz pianist and composer based in Los Angeles He has been described by The New York Times as being in the "modern jazz mainstream" and as an "accomplished pianist and composer." Ernie Rideout of Keyboard Magazine described Cunliffe's playing as "inventive, melodic,...
(1956– ) - Paul Curry (entertainer)Paul Curry (entertainer)Paul Curry , known as *'Baby Fats Waller' was highly regarded as a Jazz pianist and composer, playing alongside many of the greats. Based in Philadelphia, he formed his own trio in the 1940s, fronted by singer Beulah Frazier...
(1917–1979) - Maestro CurtisMaestro CurtisMaestro Curtis, also known as Maestro Brian, is an American musician, composer, arranger, educator, author, and sound alchemist .-Biography:Maestro Curtis a.k.a. Maestro Brian a.k.a. Brian Curtis a.k.a...
(1956- )
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- Franco D'AndreaFranco D'AndreaFranco D'Andrea is an Italian pianist who plays mostly jazz and rock. He developed his style in the 1960s and won several awards in his home country...
(1941– ) - Carsten DahlCarsten DahlCarsten Dahl is a Danish Jazz pianist. "Dahl is a truly great pianist" Chris Mosey said, in his All About Jazz review of Dahl's CD In Our Own Sweet Way released in 2009 with Alex Riel and Mads Vinding.-Biography:...
(1967– ) - Albert DaileyAlbert DaileyAlbert Dailey was an American jazz pianist.Dailey's first professional appearances were with the house band of the Baltimore Royal Theater in the early 1950s. Later in the decade he studied at Morgan State University and the Peabody Conservatory...
(1939–1984) - Tadd DameronTadd DameronTadley Ewing Peake "Tadd" Dameron was an American jazz composer, arranger and pianist. Saxophonist Dexter Gordon called Dameron the "romanticist" of the bop movement, while reviewer Scott Yanow writes that Dameron was the "definitive arranger/composer of the bop era".-Biography:Born in Cleveland,...
(1917–1965) - Harold DankoHarold DankoHarold Danko is an American jazz pianist.Danko attended Youngstown State University. Among his credits are work in the big bands of Chet Baker, Woody Herman, and Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, as well as smaller ensembles with Gerry Mulligan and Lee Konitz...
(1947– ) - Blind John DavisBlind John DavisBlind John Davis was an African American, blues, jazz and boogie-woogie pianist and singer. He is best remembered for his recordings including "A Little Every Day" and "Everybody's Boogie".-Biography:...
(1913–1985) - Ron Davis (jazz musician)Ron Davis (jazz musician)Ron Davis is a pianist and composer based in Toronto, Canada. Davis' performances and musical creations have earned critical acclaim in Canada and abroad, including comparisons to jazz greats like Oscar Peterson and Art Tatum. Davis has released seven full-length albums to date. His most recent,...
- Suzanne Davis (1953– )
- Walter Davis, Jr.Walter Davis, Jr.Walter Davis, Jr. was an American hard bop pianist.Born in Richmond, Virginia, Davis performed as a teenager with Babs Gonzales and his group Three Bips and a Bop. In the 1950s, Davis recorded with Melba Liston, Max Roach and played with Roach, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie...
(1932–1990) - Xavier DavisXavier DavisXavier Davis is a jazz pianist who leads the "Xavier Davis Trio." He currently teaches at the Juilliard School in New York City....
(1971– ) - Blossom DearieBlossom DearieBlossom Dearie was an American jazz singer and pianist, often performing in the bebop genre and remembered for her girlish voice.-Early career:...
(1926–2009) - Eumir DeodatoEumir DeodatoEumir Deodato is a Brazilian pianist, composer, record producer and arranger, primarily based in the jazz realm but who historically has been known for eclectic melding of big band and combo jazz with varied elements of rock/pop, R&B/funk, Brazilian/Latin, and symphonic or orchestral music.Mainly,...
(1942– ) - Rick DePiroRick DePiroRick DePiro, who is known by his stage name Ricky Dee, is an American Country singer-songwriter, notable and award winning jazz pianist, and popular/ jazz organist, and a music producer who has recorded and produced over twenty-five albums...
(1967- ) - Dena DeRoseDena DeRoseDena DeRose is an American jazz pianist, singer and educator. Although she began her career just as a pianist, medical problems with her hand forced her to become a vocalist as well. She has released seven solo albums.-Early life:...
(1966– ) - Lorraine DesmaraisLorraine DesmaraisLorraine Desmarais is a French-Canadian jazz pianist and composer. Born in Montreal, she holds a Masters Degree in Classical Piano, and was influenced by Chick Corea and Oscar Peterson....
(1956– ) - Neville DickieNeville DickieNeville Dickie is an English boogie-woogie and stride piano player. He has performed all over Europe and North America.-Career:...
(1937– ) - Eldar DjangirovEldar DjangirovEldar E. Djangirov, most commonly known only as Eldar, is a jazz pianist. He was born on January 28, 1987 in Kyrgyzstan and then moved to Kansas, United States. He currently resides in New York City.-Early years:...
(1987– ) - Bill DobbinsBill DobbinsBill Dobbins is an American photographer who specializes in bodybuilding, physique and fitness photography. In particular Dobbins is well known for his work in photographing female bodybuilders and has published two books of images on the subject, The Women and Modern Amazons.Dobbins credits his...
(1947– ) - Steve DobrogoszSteve DobrogoszSteve Dobrogosz is an American pianist and composer.Dobrogosz was born in 1956 and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina and attended Jesse O. Sanderson High School. He studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, and afterwards moved to Stockholm, Sweden in 1978, where he began...
(1956– ) - Niels Lan DokyNiels Lan DokyNiels Lan Doky is a Danish jazz pianist and record producer.-Biography:He was born in Copenhagen of a Danish mother and Vietnamese father. His father worked as a doctor, but was also a classically trained guitarist so guitar was Niels's first instrument...
(1963– ) - Dorothy DoneganDorothy DoneganDorothy Donegan was an American classically trained jazz pianist primarily known for performing in the stride piano and boogie-woogie style. She also played bop, swing jazz, and classical music.-Life and career:...
(1924–1998) - Armen DonelianArmen DonelianArmen Donelian is a jazz pianist who was a member of the Jazz fusion group Cosmology. He has performed since 1975 as a member of a group or as a solo act...
- Kenny Drew, Jr.Kenny Drew, Jr.Kenny Drew, Jr. , son of jazz pianist Kenny Drew, is an American jazz pianist. His music is known for its hard-swinging bluesy sound and large, two-handed rooty chords contrasting with fast runs. His style is said to be similar to that of his father and Oscar Peterson.His initial study was in...
(1958– ) - Kenny DrewKenny DrewKenneth Sidney "Kenny" Drew was an American jazz pianist.-Biography:Born in New York City, New York, he first recorded with Howard McGhee in 1949, and over the next two years recorded with Buddy DeFranco, Coleman Hawkins, Milt Jackson, Charlie Parker, Buddy Rich, and Dinah Washington...
(1928–1993) - George DukeGeorge DukeGeorge Duke is a multi-faceted American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He has worked with numerous acclaimed artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and professor of music...
(1946– ) - Louis DurraLouis DurraLouis Durra is an American jazz pianist and composer living in Los Angeles. His biological father was saxophonist Trevor Koehler.-as leader:* The Best Of All Possible Worlds -- CD, 2011* Mad World EP -- CD, 2011...
(1961– )
E
- Geoff EalesGeoff EalesGeoff Eales is regarded as one of the UK's most inspirational jazz pianists and composers.-Musical education:Born in Aberbargoed in the south Wales valleys, his musical education began at the age of eight, in the late 1950s. His father Horace, pianist in a well-known local dance band, taught him...
- John EatonJohn Eaton (pianist)For other people named John Eaton, see John Eaton ."John Eaton is a musician, historian, educator and interpreter of jazz and American popular music. He graduated from Yale University, where he was a member of literary society St. Anthony Hall...
(ca. 1935– ) - Luiz EçaLuíz EçaLuiz Mainzi da Cunha Eça was a Brazilian jazz samba and bossa nova pianist from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, probably best known for his 1960s work with the bossa nova Tamba Trio/Tamba 4...
(1936–1992) - Joanna EdenJoanna EdenJoanna Eden is a British jazz singer/songwriter and pianist.-Biography:Eden was born into a musical family, the daughter of an RAF bass player, John, and a drama teacher, Diana. She started learning the piano at six and performed her first composition, “Happy December”, aged seven. She obtained a...
- Taylor EigstiTaylor EigstiTaylor Eigsti is an American jazz pianist and composer.A former child prodigy, Eigsti started studying piano at age four. He recorded his first album at age 14...
(1984– ) - Eliane EliasEliane EliasEliane Elias is a Brazilian jazz pianist, arranger, vocalist and songwriter.-Biography:...
(1960– ) - Duke EllingtonDuke EllingtonEdward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
(1899–1974) - Bobby EnriquezBobby EnriquezRoberto Delprado Yulo Enriquez , better known as Bobby Enriquez, was a Filipino jazz pianist who became prominent in the United States and well-known internationally.New York Times critic John S. Wilson wrote:Mr...
{1943–1996} - Aydın EsenAydin EsenAydın Esen is a Turkish jazz musician who plays keyboards and electronics.Esen began music lessons at the age of 5 in Turkey. He moved to the United States when he was awarded a scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston,also he graduated from Berklee College of Music in two semesters and...
(1962– ) - Bill EvansBill EvansWilliam 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...
(1929–1980) - Gil EvansGil EvansGil Evans was a jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader, active in the United States...
(1912–1988) - Orrin EvansOrrin EvansOrrin Evans is an American jazz pianist.Evans was born in Trenton, New Jersey and raised in Philadelphia. He attended Rutgers University, and following this studied with Kenny Barron. He worked as a sideman for Bobby Watson, Ralph Peterson, Duane Eubanks, and Lenora Zenzalai-Helm, and released his...
(1975– ) - Don EwellDon EwellDon Ewell was an American jazz stride pianist born in Baltimore, Maryland, perhaps best known for his work with several prominent New Orleans–based musicians such as Sidney Bechet, Kid Ory, George Lewis, George Brunis, Muggsy Spanier and Bunk Johnson.From 1956 to 1962, Ewell was a leading member...
(1916–1983)
F
- Antonio FaraòAntonio FaraòAntonio Faraò is an Italian post-bop jazz pianist.He attended the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan where he earned an intermediate degree in 1983. He won the X1 Music Review's New Talent Prize in 1987. He won several other international competitions before his debut album in 1999. He followed...
- Victor FeldmanVictor FeldmanVictor Stanley Feldman was a British jazz musician, best known as a pianist.-Early history:...
(1934–1987) - Russell FerranteRussell FerranteRussell Keith Ferrante is a jazz pianist from San Jose, California who is a founding member of the group Yellowjackets. During his early career, Ferrante performed with American blues singer Jimmy Witherspoon and guitarist Robben Ford. He also toured with Joni Mitchell. The group Yellowjackets...
(1952- ) - Manfredo FestManfredo FestManfredo 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...
(1936–1999) - Bobby FewBobby FewBobby Few is an American jazz pianist.Few was raised in Shaker Heights, a neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, and studied classical piano. He knew Albert Ayler as a youth, and the pair studied jazz and played together in high school...
(1935– ) - Clare FischerClare FischerClare Fischer is an American composer, arranger, pianist and organist. His parents were of German, French, Irish-Scot, and English backgrounds.-Early years:...
(1928- ) - Tommy Flanagan (1930–2001)
- Bob FlorenceBob FlorenceBob Florence was an American jazz arranger and pianist. He began taking piano lessons at five and initially intended to be a concert pianist. However, on taking classes with Bob McDonald he changed direction toward jazz.At the beginning of his career Florence worked as a pianist and arranger with...
(1932– ) - Chuck FoldsChuck FoldsChuck Folds is a musician living in North Carolina. More notably he is the younger brother of the piano playing pop/rock star Ben Folds. Chuck has played bass in a number of bands since the late 1980s, including Bus Stop with Evan Olson, Britt "Snuzz" Uzzell, and Eddie Walker. Bus Stop...
- Roberto FonsecaRoberto FonsecaRoberto Fonseca is a Cuban jazz pianist.. From an early age, Fonseca was surrounded by music: his father was a drummer, his mother, Mercedes Cortes Alfaro, a professional singer , and his two older half-brothers, Emilio Valdés and Jesús “Chuchito” Valdés Jr...
- Joel ForresterJoel ForresterJoel Forrester is an American jazz pianist and composer. He is notable for having composed the theme song to NPR's Fresh Air.-Joel Forrester:*People Like Us...No, Really, Koch...
(1946– ) - Herman FosterHerman FosterHerman Foster was an American bebop jazz pianist.He began his musical career early playing the violin, clarinet, saxophone, and piano. He became a self-taught pianist. His family moved to New York City in 1947 where he began to attend jam sessions and then played with Eric Dixon, Dick Carter and...
(1928– ) - Ray FoxleyRay FoxleyRaymond Geoffrey 'Ray' Foxley was a jazz pianist who played with Ken Colyer and Chris Barber....
- Russ FreemanRuss Freeman (pianist)Russell Donald Freeman was a bebop and cool jazz pianist and composer.Initially, Freeman was classically trained...
(1926–2002) - Ming FreemanMing FreemanMing Freeman, born in Taiwan, of Chinese and Canadian descent, is a multi-keyboardist and pianist, musical director, composer and producer who has toured or recorded with artists such as Joni Mitchell, Yanni, Ronnie Laws, Chuck Negron, Jeffrey Osborne, Paula Abdul, Sheena Easton, Gladys Knight,...
- Don FriedmanDon FriedmanDonald Ernest Friedman , better known as Don Friedman, is a jazz pianist. On the West Coast, he performed with Dexter Gordon, Chet Baker, Buddy DeFranco and Ornette Coleman, among others, before moving to New York...
(1935– ) - David Frishberg (1933– )
- Joel FuttermanJoel FuttermanJoel Futterman is an American jazz pianist and curved soprano saxophonist. He has appeared on more than 65 recordings as of 2009....
(1946 )
G
- Hal GalperHal Galper-Biography:He studied classical piano as a boy, but switched to jazz which he studied at the Berklee College of Music from 1955 to 1958. He hung out at Herb Pomeroy's club, The Stable, hearing local Boston musicians like Jackie Byard, Alan Dawson and Sam Rivers. Galper started sitting in and became...
(1938– ) - Salman GambarovSalman GambarovSalman Gambarov Huseyn oglu is an Azerbaijani jazz musician, pianist and composer.-Early years:Salman Gambarov was born in Baku in 1959. In 1977, he has been graduated from the 11-year secondary music school named after Bulbul. In 1983, he completed his study at the Musicology department of...
(1959- ) - Laszlo GardonyLaszlo GardonyLaszlo Gardony is an American jazz pianist / composer born in Hungary who has released nine albums and leads his own trio.-Biography:Gardony studied at the Béla Bartók Conservatory in Budapest, graduating in 1979....
- Red GarlandRed GarlandWilliam "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:...
(1923–1984) - Erroll GarnerErroll GarnerErroll Louis Garner was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His best-known composition, the ballad "Misty", has become a jazz standard...
(1921–1977) - Michael GarrickMichael GarrickMichael Garrick MBE was an English jazz pianist and composer, and a pioneer in mixing jazz with poetry recitations.-Biography:...
(1933– ) - Giorgio GasliniGiorgio GasliniGiorgio Gaslini is an Italian jazz pianist and composer.He began performing at 13 and recorded with his jazz trio at 16. In the 1950s and 1960s Gaslini performed with his own quartet...
(1929– ) - Charles GayleCharles GayleCharles Gayle is a free jazz saxophonist, pianist, bass clarinetist, and percussionist.-Biography:Charles Gayle was born in Buffalo, New York. Some of Gayle's history is unclear. He was apparently homeless for approximately twenty years, playing saxophone on street corners and subway platforms...
- Chris GeithChris GeithChris Geith is a composer and arranger of contemporary jazz and New Age music. His band, The Chris Geith Group, signed with Jive Records in Asia in 2001. The band has been no. 1 in the contemporary jazz, Jazz Fusion, and Contemporary Urban/ R&B charts on MP3.com...
- George GershwinGeorge GershwinGeorge Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
(1898–1937) - Jason Gien-Reolon
- Egberto GismontiEgberto GismontiEgberto Gismonti Amin is a Brazilian composer, guitarist and pianist.Gismonti began his formal music studies at the age of six on piano. After studying classical music for 15 years, he went to Paris to study orchestration and analysis with Nadia Boulanger and the composer Jean Barraqué, a disciple...
- Robert GlasperRobert GlasperRobert Glasper in Houston, Texas is an American jazz pianist and record producer.-Career:Glasper’s earliest musical influence was his mother, Kim Yvette Glasper, who sang jazz and blues professionally. She would bring him with her to club dates rather than leave her son with babysitters...
- Aaron GoldbergAaron GoldbergAaron Goldberg is a jazz pianist based in New York City. He began studying piano at seven and studied under Bob Sinicrope of Milton Academy and saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi...
(1974- ) - Larry GoldingsLarry Goldings-Life and career:Goldings was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His father was a classical music enthusiast, and Larry studied classical piano until the age of twelve. While in high school at Concord Academy, he attended a program at the Eastman School of Music. During this period Erroll Garner,...
(1968– ) - Gil GoldsteinGil GoldsteinGil Goldstein is American jazz pianist and synthesizer player who started on the accordion.He began studying accordion at age 5, but later moved on to cello and piano. He studied at the Berklee College of Music and by 1973 was working with Pat Martino, Lee Konitz, and others. He started with the...
(1950– ) - Rubén González
- Gordon GoodwinGordon GoodwinGordon L. Goodwin is a Grammy award-winning American studio pianist, saxophonist, composer, arranger and conductor. He now lives in Southern California with his wife Lisa, daughter Madison and two sons, Trevor and Garrison.- Early years :...
- Tom GrantTom Grant (jazz musician)Tom Grant is an American contemporary jazz/jazz fusion pianist and vocalist.- Biography :Tom Grant was born in Portland, Oregon to a musical family – his father was a tap dancer who owned a record store in Portland, and his brother was an avant-garde jazz pianist. At a young age, Grant learned to...
- Benny GreenBenny Green (pianist)Benny Green is a hard bop jazz pianist who was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. He has been compared to Bud Powell in style and counts him as an influence. As a boy he grew up in Berkeley, California and studied classical piano from the age of seven...
(1963– ) - Jesse GreenJesse GreenJesse Green is an American professional jazz pianist, composer, arranger, producer, and teacher. He is the son of ex-big band singer Kathy Preston and acclaimed Jazz trombonist Urbie Green. Jesse was married in June 2003 to Kristine and has three children...
(1973– ) - Burton GreeneBurton GreeneBurton Greene is a free jazz pianist born in Chicago, Illinois, though most known for his work in New York City. He has explored a variety of genres, including avant-garde jazz and the Klezmer medium.-Biography:...
(1937– ) - Stan GreigStan GreigStanley Mackay Greig is a Scottish pianist, drummer, and bandleader.Greig's father was a drummer and piano tuner. Greig played with Sandy Brown while still in high school in 1945, then played piano and drums with him from 1948 to 1954...
(1930– ) - Don GrolnickDon GrolnickDon Grolnick was an American jazz and pop pianist and composer, most noteworthy for his work with artists such as Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Roberta Flack, Carly Simon, Bette Midler, Billy Cobham, David Sanborn, Marcus Miller, Bob Mintzer, Dave Holland and Steely Dan...
(1948–1996) - George GruntzGeorge GruntzGeorge Gruntz is a Swiss jazz pianist, organist, harpsichordist, keyboardist and composer most noteworthy for his work with artists such as Phil Woods, Roland Kirk, Don Cherry, Chet Baker, Art Farmer, Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin and Mel Lewis.From 1972 to 1994 he served as artistic director for...
(1932– ) - Dave GrusinDave GrusinDavid Grusin is an American composer, arranger and pianist. Grusin has composed many scores for feature films and television, and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record work, including an Academy award and 12 Grammys...
(1934– ) - Vince GuaraldiVince GuaraldiVincent Anthony "Vince" Guaraldi was an Italian American jazz musician and pianist noted for his innovative compositions and arrangements and for composing music for animated adaptations of the Peanuts comic strip...
(1928–1976) - Johnny GuarnieriJohnny GuarnieriJohnny Guarnieri was an American virtuoso jazz and stride pianist, born in New York City, perhaps best known for his big band stints with Benny Goodman in 1939 and with Artie Shaw in 1940...
(1917–1985) - Friedrich GuldaFriedrich GuldaFriedrich Gulda was an Austrian pianist and composer who worked in both the classical and jazz fields.Born in Vienna as the son of a teacher, Gulda began learning to play the piano from Felix Pazofsky at the Wiener Volkskonservatorium, aged 7...
(1930–2000) - Onaje Allan GumbsOnaje Allan GumbsOnaje Allan Gumbs is a New York-based pianist, composer, and bandleader.-Early life:Born in Harlem, Onaje grew up in St. Albans, Queens, and started playing piano at age 7. Henry Mancini was one of his earliest and greatest influences from watching the TV shows "Peter Gunn" and "Mr Lucky" at age 8...
- Tord GustavsenTord GustavsenTord Gustavsen is a jazz pianist. Before studying music, Gustavsen finished a degree in psychology. He studied jazz at the Conservatory of Music Trondheim and jazz theory at the University of Oslo. He has toured internationally several times has been a bandleader of a trio and a later ensemble...
(1970– )
H
- Steve Hamilton (pianist and poker player)Steve Hamilton (pianist and poker player)Scottish pianist Steve Hamilton was born in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1973.He rose to prominence in the Scottish music scene and at the age of 18 went to Berklee College of Music to study jazz...
(1973– ) - Al HaigAl HaigAlan Warren Haig was an American jazz pianist, best known as one of the pioneers of bebop.Haig was born in Newark, New Jersey...
(1924–1982) - Bengt HallbergBengt HallbergBengt Hallberg is one of Sweden's most influential jazz musicians. He studied classical piano from a very early age, and at 13 years old he wrote his first jazz arrangement. In 1949 he recorded with the Swedish alto saxophonist Arne Domnérus for the first time, an association which has continued...
(1932– ) - Tigran HamasyanTigran HamasyanTigran Hamasyan is an Armenian jazz pianist. He plays mostly original compositions, which are strongly influenced by the Armenian folk tradition, often using its scales and modalities. In addition to Tigran's folk influence, he is much influenced by American jazz tradition and to some extent, as...
(1987-) - Jan HammerJan HammerJan Hammer is a composer, pianist and keyboardist. He first gained his most visible audience while playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the early 1970s, as well as his film scores for television and film including "Miami Vice Theme" and "Crockett's Theme", from the popular 1980s...
- Herbie HancockHerbie HancockHerbert 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...
(1940– ) - Paul HanmerPaul HanmerPaul Hanmer is a South African composer, pianist and one of its foremost jazz musicians.In 1987 Hanmer moved to Johannesburg where he formed Unofficial Language with drummer Ian Herman and bassist Pete Sklair...
(1961– ) - Roland HannaRoland HannaRoland Hanna was an American Jazz pianist.Hanna studied classical piano as a boy, but was strongly interested in jazz. This increased after his time in military service.He studied at Eastman School of Music and Juilliard School...
(1932–2002) - Ichiko HashimotoIchiko Hashimoto (musician)is a jazz pianist, composer and singer. She has also acted in television and film.Hashimoto was born in Kobe, grew up in Tokyo and started playing the piano at the age of five...
(1952– ) - Barry HarrisBarry HarrisBarry Doyle Harris is an American bebop jazz pianist and educator.-Biography:Harris left Detroit for New York City in 1960...
(1929– ) - Gene HarrisGene HarrisGene Harris was an American jazz pianist known for his warm sound and blues and gospel infused style that is known as soul jazz....
(1933–2000) - Hampton HawesHampton HawesHampton Hawes was an American bebop and hard-bop jazz pianist, recognized as one of the finest and most influential of the 1950s.-Biography:...
(1928–1977) - Edgar HayesEdgar HayesEdgar Hayes was an American jazz pianist and bandleader.Hayes attended Wilberforce University, where he graduated with a degree in music in the early 1920s. In 1922 he toured with Fess Williams, and formed his own group, the Blue Grass Buddies, in Ohio in 1924...
(1904–1979) - Kevin HaysKevin HaysKevin Hays is a jazz pianist. He was raised in Greenwich, ConnecticutHe is known for the Kevin Hays Trio and being in the Bill Stewart Trio....
(1968– ) - David HazeltineDavid HazeltineDavid Hazeltine is an American jazz pianist.Today a major pianist in the New York and Japan scenes, David Hazeltine has been playing gigs since he was thirteen. He did not seriously consider going into music until right before college. Once he entered into the jazz world he was encouraged by Chet...
(1958– ) - Fletcher HendersonFletcher HendersonJames Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. His was one of the most prolific black orchestras and his influence was vast...
(1897–1952) - Horace HendersonHorace HendersonHorace W. Henderson Born in Cuthbert, Georgia , younger brother of Fletcher Henderson, was an American jazz pianist, organist, arranger, and bandleader....
(1904–1988) - Yaron HermanYaron HermanYaron Herman is an Israeli jazz pianist now living in Paris, France.- Biography :Yaron Herman was born in Tel-Aviv on 12 July 1981. He started to learn the piano at 16 using a methodology based on philosophy, mathematics and psychology. Two years later, Yaron earned the prestigious Rimon School of...
(1981– ) - Oscar Hernandez
- Fred HerschFred HerschFred Hersch is a contemporary American jazz pianist who has become a consistent and highly demanded performer on the international jazz scene....
(1955– ) - Frank HewittFrank HewittFrank Hewitt was a hard bop jazz pianist. Born in Queens, Hewitt lived most of his life in Harlem. His mother was a church pianist, and his initial study was classical and gospel music, but switched to jazz after hearing a Charlie Parker record. He took the bop pianists Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell...
- Eddie HeywoodEddie HeywoodEddie Heywood was a jazz pianist who was popular in the 1940s. His father, Eddie Heyward, Sr. was also a jazz musician from the 1920s. Heywood, Jr...
(1915–1989) - John HicksJohn Hicks (jazz pianist)John Josephus Hicks, Jr. was an American jazz pianist and composer, active in the New York and the international jazz scene from the mid-1960s.-Biography:...
(1941–2006) - Barbara HigbieBarbara HigbieBarbara Higbie is a Grammy nominated, Bammy award winning pianist, composer, violinist, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She has played on over 65 CD's including 3 tunes on the recent Carlos Santana CD. A longtime Windham Hill recording artist, she has also recorded for Olivia/Second...
(1956– ) - Eddie HigginsEddie HigginsEdward Haydn Higgins was a jazz pianist, composer and orchestrator. -Biography:Born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Higgins initially studied privately with his mother. He started his professional career in Chicago, Illinois, while studying at the Northwestern University School of Music...
(1932– ) - Andrew HillAndrew HillAndrew Hill was an American jazz pianist and composer.Hill is recognized as one of the most important innovators of jazz piano in the 1960s...
(1930–2007) - Gregory Hillman (1977– )
- Earl HinesEarl HinesEarl Kenneth Hines, universally known as Earl "Fatha" Hines, was an American jazz pianist. Hines was one of the most influential figures in the development of modern jazz piano and, according to one source, is "one of a small number of pianists whose playing shaped the history of jazz".-Early...
(1903–1983) - Jutta HippJutta HippJutta Hipp was a jazz pianist who also had some success as a painter. She mostly worked in bebop and cool jazz....
(1925–2003) - Hiromi ( Hiromi Uehara, 1979– )
- Art HodesArt HodesArthur W. Hodes , known professionally as Art Hodes, was an American jazz pianist.-Biography:...
(1904–1993) - Jools HollandJools HollandJulian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
- Scott Holman (1954– )
- Mike HoloberMike HoloberMike Holober is an American jazz pianist. Holober leads a big band called the Gotham Jazz Orchestra, a collection of leading New York-based studio jazz musicians. Holober frequently works with bassist John Patitucci...
- Elmo HopeElmo HopeSt. Elmo Sylvester Hope was an American jazz pianist, performing chiefly in the bop and hard bop genres. His highly individual piano-playing and, especially, his compositions have led a few enthusiasts and critics such as David Rosenthal to place him alongside his contemporaries Bud Powell and...
(1923–1967) - Glenn HoriuchiGlenn HoriuchiGlenn Horiuchi was an American jazz pianist, composer, and shamisen player. He was a central figure in the development of the Asian American jazz movement....
(1955–2000) - Shirley HornShirley HornShirley Valerie Horn was an American jazz singer and pianist.-Biography:Encouraged by her grandmother, who was an amateur organist, Horn began piano lessons at the age of four. At twelve, Horn studied piano and composition at Howard University and later majored from there in classical music...
(1934–2005) - Wayne HorvitzWayne HorvitzWayne Horvitz is an American composer, keyboardist and record producer.-Biography:Horvitz, a "defiant cross-breeder of genres", has led the groups The President, Pigpen, Zony Mash, and the Four Plus One Ensemble...
(1955– ) - Steve HuntSteve HuntSteve Hunt is an American jazz pianist and composer who was born in 1958. He has released two studio albums, recorded extensively, and toured the world. He is ranked #39 on the Digital Dream Door list of greatest fusion keyboardists.-Music Career:...
- Dick HymanDick HymanRichard “Dick” Hyman is an American jazz pianist/keyboardist and composer, best-known for his versatility with jazz piano styles. Over a 50 year career, he has functioned as pianist, organist, arranger, music director, and, increasingly, as composer...
(1927– )
I
- Adrián IaiesAdrián IaiesAdrián Iaies is an Argentine pianist and composer who has been nominated for the Latin Grammy awards three times. His main style is Jazz but he combines that with soul, tango, and other styles....
- Abdullah IbrahimAbdullah IbrahimAbdullah Ibrahim , born Adolph Johannes Brand, 9 October 1934 in Cape Town, South Africa, and formerly known as Dollar Brand, is a South African pianist and composer...
(1934– ) - Nikki IlesNikki IlesNikki Iles is an English jazz composer and musician, playing piano and accordion.Iles was born in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, her parents both musicians...
(1963– ) - Keith InghamKeith InghamKeith Ingham is an English jazz pianist, mainly active in swing and Dixieland revival.Ingham's first professional gigs occurred in 1964. He played with Sandy Brown, Bruce Turner, and Wally Fawkes that decade. He played with Bob Wilber and Bud Freeman in 1974, and moved to New York City in 1978...
(1942– ) - Weldon IrvineWeldon IrvineWeldon Jonathan Irvine, Jr. , also known Master Wel, was an American composer, playwright, poet, pianist and organist.-Biography:...
- Robert Irving IIIRobert Irving IIIRobert Irving III is an American pianist, composer, arranger and music educator.A native of Chicago, Irving was one of a group of young Chicago musicians that in the late '70s and early '80s formed the nucleus of Miles Davis' recording and touring bands...
- Ethan IversonEthan IversonEthan Iverson is a pianist, composer, and critic best known for his work in the postmodern jazz trio The Bad Plus, with bassist Reid Anderson and drummer Dave King....
- Vijay IyerVijay IyerVijay Iyer is a jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, producer, electronic musician, and writer based in New York City.-Biography:Born in 1971 and raised in Rochester, New York, Vijay Iyer is the son of Indian Tamil immigrants to the US. He received 15 years of Western classical training on violin...
(1973– )
J
- D.D. Jackson (1967– )
- Christian JacobChristian JacobChristian Jacob is a lyrical jazz pianist who ranks among the top piano improvisers and accompanists working today. He has gained widespread exposure as musical director and performer with vocalist Tierney Sutton, although he has also maintained a substantial career as a solo artist and...
(1958- ) - Pim JacobsPim JacobsWillem Bernard Jacobs was a Dutch jazz pianist and television presenter. He worked with Louis van Dijk and Rogier van Otterloo. He was married with Jazz-singer Rita Reys from 1960.Jacobs became famous with the Pim Jacobs Trio, which included Wim Overgaauw, Ruud Jacobs and Peter Ypma...
(1934–1996) - Pete JacobsenPete JacobsenPete Jacobsen, born Peter Paul George Jacobsen, May 16, 1950 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, died April 29, 2002 in London, England was an English jazz pianist....
(1950–2002) - Ahmad JamalAhmad JamalAhmad Jamal is an innovative and influential American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. According to Stanley Crouch, Jamal is second in importance in the development of jazz after 1945 only to Charlie Parker...
(1930– ) - Bob JamesBob James (musician)Robert McElhiney James is a jazz keyboardist, arranger and producer.-Biography:During the 1970s, Bob James played a major role in establishing the smooth jazz genre. "Angela", the instrumental theme from the sitcom Taxi, is probably Bob James' most well-known work to date...
- Jon JangJon JangJon Jang is an American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader. Of Chinese ancestry, he is active in the Asian American jazz movement and specializes in music which combines elements of jazz and Asian musics....
(1954– ) - Lars JanssonLars Jansson (composer)Lars Jansson is a jazz pianist and composer.-Life:Jansson grew up in Örebro, Sweden, where he was bored by his lessons at the community music school. In his early teens, a relative lent him records of Miles Davis, Ben Webster, and Mose Allison. During the 1960s, he followed the fashion and...
(1951– ) - Keith JarrettKeith JarrettKeith Jarrett is an American pianist and composer who performs both jazz and classical music.Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey, moving on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s he has enjoyed a great deal of success in jazz, jazz fusion, and classical music; as...
(1945– ) - Jane JarvisJane JarvisJane Nossette Jarvis was an American jazz pianist. She was also known for her work as a composer, a baseball stadium organist and a recording industry executive...
(1915–2010) - Antonio Carlos JobimAntônio Carlos JobimAntônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim , also known as Tom Jobim , was a Brazilian songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, and pianist/guitarist. He was a primary force behind the creation of the bossa nova style, and his songs have been performed by many singers and instrumentalists within...
(1927–1994) - Jan Johansson (1931–1968)
- Budd JohnsonBudd JohnsonNot to be confused with Buddy Johnson.Budd Johnson was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist who worked extensively with Ben Webster, Benny Goodman, Big Joe Turner, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday and Earl Hines, among others.-Biography:He initially played...
(1910–1984) - Dink JohnsonDink JohnsonOllie "Dink" Johnson was a dixieland jazz pianist, clarinetist, and drummer.-Background:Dink Johnson was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, younger brother of the bass player/bandleader William Manuel Johnson. He worked around Mississippi and New Orleans, Louisiana before moving to the western United...
(1892–1954) - James P. JohnsonJames P. JohnsonJames P. Johnson was an American pianist and composer...
(1894–1955) - Marcus JohnsonMarcus JohnsonMichael Allen "Marcus" Johnson is an American football guard who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Mississippi.Johnson has also been a member of the Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and...
(1971– ) - Pete JohnsonPete JohnsonPete Johnson was an American boogie-woogie and jazz pianist.Journalist Tony Russell stated in his book The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray, that "Johnson shared with the other members of the 'Boogie Woogie Trio' the technical virtuosity and melodic fertility that can make this the most...
(1904–1967) - Pete JollyPete JollyPete Jolly was an American West Coast jazz pianist and accordionist....
(1932–2004) - Hank JonesHank JonesHenry "Hank" Jones was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored him with the NEA Jazz Masters Award...
(1918–2010 ) - Norah JonesNorah JonesNorah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
- Oliver Jones (1934– )
- Richard M. JonesRichard M. JonesRichard M. Jones, born Richard Marigny Jones, was a jazz pianist, composer, band leader, and record producer. Numerous songs bear his name as author, including "Trouble in Mind"....
(1892–1945) - Scott JoplinScott JoplinScott Joplin was an American composer and pianist. Joplin achieved fame for his ragtime compositions, and was later dubbed "The King of Ragtime". During his brief career, Joplin wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas...
(1868–1917) - Duke JordanDuke JordanIrving Sidney "Duke" Jordan was an American jazz pianist.-Biography:An imaginative and gifted pianist, Jordan was a regular member of Charlie Parker's so-called "classic quintet" , featuring Miles Davis...
(1922–2006) - Bradley JosephBradley JosephBradley Joseph is an American composer, arranger, and producer of contemporary instrumental music. His compositions include works for orchestra, quartet, and solo piano, while his musical style ranges from "quietly pensive mood music to a rich orchestration of classical depth and breadth".Active...
(1965– )
K
- Eyran KatsenelenbogenEyran Katsenelenbogen-Biography:Eyran Katsenelenbogen is a master pianist who has performed throughout the world. In 2009, he has released his tenth solo album, titled 88 Fingers, with a concert tour that included venues in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East....
(1965– ) - Nikolai KapustinNikolai KapustinNikolai Girshevich Kapustin is a Ukrainian Russian composer and pianist....
(1937– ) - Dick KatzDick KatzDick Katz was an American jazz pianist and arranger. He freelanced throughout much of his career, and worked in a number of ensembles. He co-founded Milestone Records in 1966 with Orrin Keepnews....
- Bruce KatzBruce KatzBruce Katz is an American musician, playing piano, organ and bass guitar. Since 1996, he has been on the faculty at the Berklee College of Music in Boston as an associate professor.-Biography:...
(1952– ) - Cab KayeCab KayeNii-lante Augustus Kwamlah Quaye, better known as Cab Kaye was an English-Ghanaian-Dutch jazz musician, bandleader, entertainer, drummer, guitarist, pianist, songwriter and singer. His singing was influenced by Billie Holiday and he often accompanied himself on piano with a graceful, rhythmic style...
(1921–2000) - Yakov KazyanskyYakov KazyanskyYakov Kazyansky is a Russian musician. He has been named an Honoured Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation ....
- Geoff KeezerGeoff KeezerGeoffrey Keezer, born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA on November 20, 1970, is a jazz pianist. Born into a musical family, with both parents teaching music, he began studying piano at the age of three. In 1989, at the age of 18, after completing his first year at the Berklee College of Music,...
- Roger KellawayRoger KellawayRoger Kellaway is an American composer, arranger, and pianist.Born in Waban, Massachusetts, he is an alumnus of the New England Conservatory...
(1939– ) - Sue Keller (1952– )
- Brian KellockBrian KellockBrian Kellock is a Scottish jazz pianist.Born in Edinburgh, Brian graduated with a B. Music from Edinburgh University in 1986...
(1962– ) - Wynton KellyWynton KellyWynton 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:...
(1931–1971) - Rodney KendrickRodney KendrickRodney Kendrick is an American jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, and producer. He has been described as a "hard swinging player and composer with a delightful Monkish wit and drive."-Biography:...
- Stan KentonStan KentonStanley Newcomb "Stan" Kenton was a pianist, composer, and arranger who led a highly innovative, influential, and often controversial American jazz orchestra. In later years he was widely active as an educator....
(1911–1979) - David KikoskiDavid KikoskiDave Kikoski is an exceptional American jazz pianist and keyboardist.Kikoski learned piano from his father and played with him in bars as a teenager...
(1961– ) - Masabumi KikuchiMasabumi Kikuchiis a Japanese jazz pianist and composer born in Tokyo, Japan, notable for working with a variety of well known jazz musicians such as Lionel Hampton, Sonny Rollins, Woody Herman, Mal Waldron, Joe Henderson, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, Miles Davis, Billy Harper and Hannibal Peterson.-Select...
- Frank KimbroughFrank KimbroughFrank Kimbrough is a post-bop jazz pianist born and raised in North Carolina. He did some work at Chapel Hill before moving to Washington, D. C. in 1980....
- Kenny KirklandKenny KirklandKenneth David “Kenny” Kirkland was an American pianist/keyboardist. He is most often associated with Sting, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, and Kenny Garrett....
(1955–1998) - Guillermo KleinGuillermo KleinGuillermo Klein is an Argentine pianist and composer.He graduated from Berklee College of Music in 1994, and throughout the 1990s held a residency at Smalls, a jazz club in New York City. Known for his highly original harmonic and stylistic concepts, Klein has garnered much respect from the jazz...
- Jacques KleinJacques KleinJacques Klein was a Brazilian composer and pianist.Born to a Jewish family in Aracati, he grew up in the nearby city of Fortaleza, where he began to study piano at the Conservatório Alberto Nepomuceno, which had been founded by his father...
(1930–1982) - Dan KnightDan KnightDan Knight Jazz pianist, composer, educator, author. Born in Ottumwa, Iowa, 1953. His early piano education was in the classical tradition; his first piano teacher, Tillie Maither, was a former student of Ignace Jan Paderewski. His interest in jazz began at an early age, and by age seven he...
(1953– ) - Ron KobayashiRon KobayashiRon Kobayashi is a jazz pianist and composer based in Southern California, USA. He has performed with Mel Tormé, Margaret Whiting, Herb Jeffries, Tim Weisberg, Eric Marienthal, Jules Day, Peter White, Kenny Burrell, Bill Watrous, Teddy Edwards, Pete Christlieb and Paula Kelly Jr. and the...
- Krzysztof KomedaKrzysztof KomedaKrzysztof Komeda was a Polish film music composer and jazz pianist. Perhaps best-known for his work in film scores, Komeda wrote the scores for Roman Polanski’s films Rosemary’s Baby, The Fearless Vampire Killers, Knife in the Water and Cul-de-sac...
(1931–1969) - Ted KooshianTed KooshianTed Kooshian is a New York jazz pianist and keyboardist who has performed with artists that include Aretha Franklin, Chuck Berry, Toni Braxton, Marvin Hamlisch, Sarah Brightman, and Blood, Sweat, and Tears. Kooshian has played in many Broadway pit orchestras, and is a member of the Ed Palermo Big...
(1961– ) - Steve KovenSteve KovenSteve Koven is a Canadian Jazz pianist and member of the Steve Koven Trio.Born in Toronto, Canada, Koven took up the piano at the age of seven. He earned a B.F.A. from York University studying contemporary improvisation...
- Diana KrallDiana KrallDiana Jean Krall, OC, OBC is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer, known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 6 million albums in the US and over 15 million worldwide; altogether, she has sold more albums than any other female jazz artist during the 1990s and 2000s...
(1964– ) - Mark Kramer (jazz)Mark Kramer (jazz)Mark Kramer is a Philadelphia-born jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and producer/engineer.Members of the Philadelphia Orchestra mentored him on violin from the age of five. His early jazz performances, in his teens and twenties included those with Michael Brecker and Randy Brecker, Charles...
(1945– ) - Rob van KreeveldRob van KreeveldRob van Kreeveld is a Dutch pianist.-Career:Rob van Kreeveld started playing the piano when he was nine years old. American jazz pianist Oscar Peterson had been a great influence on him early on. April 1960 Rob van Kreeveld went to Germany with the now legendary Dutch Indorock group the Black...
(1941– ) - Steve KuhnSteve KuhnSteve Kuhn is an American jazz pianist, composer and trio leader.-Biography:He began studying piano at the age of five and studied under Boston piano teacher Margaret Chaloff, mother of jazz baritone saxophonist Serge Chaloff, who taught him the "Russian style" of piano playing. At an early age he...
(1938– ) - Billy KyleBilly KyleWilliam Osborne "Billy" Kyle was an American jazz pianist.-Biography:Kyle was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He began playing the piano in school and by the early 1930s worked with Lucky Millinder, and later the Mills Blue Rhythm Band. In 1938, he joined John Kirby's band, but was drafted in...
(1914–1966)
L
- Art LandeArt LandeArt Lande is a jazz pianist, drummer, composer and educator.Born in New York City, he began piano at age 4, studied at Williams College, and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1969. He made the first record of his own compositions in 1973 for ECM Records, in a duo with saxophonist/flutist Jan...
(1947– ) - Ellis LarkinsEllis LarkinsEllis Larkins was an African-American jazz pianist born in Baltimore, Maryland, perhaps best known for his two recordings with Ella Fitzgerald, the albums Ella Sings Gershwin and Songs in a Mellow Mood .Larkins was the first African American to attend the Peabody Conservatory of Music, a...
(1923–2002) - Andy LaVerneAndy LaVerneAndy LaVerne is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.LaVerne studied at Juilliard School of Music, Berklee College, and the New England Conservatory, and took private lessons from legendary jazz pianist Bill Evans...
- John Law
- Hugh LawsonHugh Lawson (jazz pianist)Hugh Lawson , was one of many talented Detroit jazz pianists of the 1950s ....
(1935–1997) - Mike LeDonneMike LeDonneMichael LeDonne is a jazz pianist and organist known for post-bop and hard bop.His parents ran a music store with his father also being a jazz guitarist. He played with his father at gigs from the age of ten...
(1956– ) - Michel LegrandMichel LegrandMichel Jean Legrand is a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist...
(1932– ) - Peter LemerPeter LemerPeter Lemer is an English jazz musician. He worked with the Pete Lemer Quintet, Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Annette Peacock, Harry Beckett, Gilgamesh, Baker Gurvitz Army, Seventh Wave, Harry Beckett's Joy Unlimited, Pierre Moerlen's Gong, Mike Oldfield Group, In Cahoots, Miller/Baker/Lemer...
(1942-) - Brian LemonBrian LemonBrian Lemon is a European jazz pianist and arranger most notable for his works with Benny Goodman, Charlie Watts, Scott Hamilton, Buddy Tate, Milt Jackson, Ben Webster, George Chisholm and Kenny Baker. He moved to London in the mid-1950s to join Freddy Randall's band. After that he worked with a...
(1937– ) - Indra LesmanaIndra LesmanaIndra Lesmana is an Indonesian jazz pianist.- Background :He was introduced to jazz music by his father, Jack Lesmana, who is also a jazz musician. His musical career with keyboards instrument started at age 10...
(1966– ) - Milcho LevievMilcho LevievMilcho Leviev is a Bulgarian composer, arranger, jazz performer and pianist.Milcho Leviev graduated from the State Academy of Music in 1960 majoring in Composition under Professor Pancho Vladigerov and in Piano under Professor Andrei Stoyanov...
(1937– ) - Mark LevineMark Levine (musician)Mark Levine is a jazz pianist, author and educator. He has played with Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Shaw, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaría, Cal Tjader, Willie Bobo, Bobby Hutcherson, and many others....
(1938– ) - Lou LevyLou Levy (pianist)Louis A. Levy , generally known as Lou Levy, was a bebop-based pianist who worked with many top jazz artists, later coming to embrace the cool jazz medium and playing in that style as well .Levy was born to Jewish parents in Chicago and started playing piano when he was 12...
(1928–2001) - John LewisJohn Lewis (pianist)John Aaron Lewis was an American jazz pianist and composer best known as the musical director of the Modern Jazz Quartet.- Early life:...
(1920–2001) - Meade "Lux" Lewis (1905–1964)
- Ramsey LewisRamsey LewisRamsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received seven gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.-Biography:...
(1935– ) - Steve LewisSteve Lewis (musician)Steve Lewis was a jazz pianist and composer.Lewis was born in New Orleans. He was influenced by the piano stylings of Tony Jackson and Jelly Roll Morton, and became the premier pianist in Storyville after those two older musicians left town. When the District was closed down in 1917 he went on...
(1896 – c. 1941?) - Kirk LightseyKirk LightseyKirkland "Kirk" Lightsey is an American jazz pianist.Lightsey had piano instruction from age five and studied piano and clarinet through high school. After service in the Army, Lightsey worked in Detroit and California in the 1960s as an accompanist to singers...
(1937– ) - Nils LindbergNils LindbergNils Lindberg is a Swedish composer and pianist.Lindberg belongs to a family of musicians from Gagnef, Dalecarlia, where he lives. He studied classical composition at the Royal College of Music, Stockholm with Lars-Erik Larsson and Karl-Birger Blomdahl.Lindberg is known both as a jazz composer and...
(1953– ) - Ivan LinsIvan LinsIvan Guimarães Lins is a Latin Grammy winning Brazilian musician. He has been an active performer and songwriter of Brazilian popular music and jazz for over 30 years. His first hit, Madalena, was recorded by Elis Regina in 1970. Beyond his own performance of his compositions, Simone is his most...
(1945– ) - Mike LongoMike LongoMichael Josef "Mike" Longo is a jazz pianist, composer, and author. He is most known for his work with Dizzy Gillespie.-Early life:...
(1939– ) - Jacques LoussierJacques LoussierJacques Loussier is a French pianist and composer. He is well-known for his jazz interpretations in trio formation of many of Johann Sebastian Bach's works, such as the Goldberg Variations.-Early life and education :...
(1934– ) - Erik van der LuijtErik van der LuijtErik van der Luijt is a Dutch jazz pianist / keyboard player, arranger, composer, producer and band leader.-History:Erik van der Luijt started playing the piano at the age of four...
- Jan LundgrenJan LundgrenJan Lundgren is a Swedish jazz musician , known for his solo work, and his own jazz trio.Born in Kristianstad and raised in Ronneby, Jan Lundgren was formerly in the group "St...
(1966– ) - Bobby LyleBobby LyleBobby Lyle is a jazz, soul jazz, and smooth jazz pianist. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee but grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota in a home near the corner of Park Avenue and 32nd Street. His father, reportedly, was a sports writer for the Star Tribune newspaper.He had his first gig at 16 and...
- Harold Lopez NussaHarold Lopez NussaHarold López-Nussa Torres is a jazz pianist who plays Cuban music and lives in a little apartment in Havana's Vedado neighbourhood in Cuba. The 26-year-old pianist is Cuban, and French through his grandmother....
M
- Harold MabernHarold MabernHarold Mabern is a hard bop and soul jazz pianist.Early in his career, Mabern played in Chicago with Walter Perkins' MJT + 3 in the late 1950s before moving to New York in 1959. Mabern has worked with Jimmy Forrest, Lionel Hampton, the Jazztet , Donald Byrd, Miles Davis , J. J...
(1936– ) - Dave MacKay (1932– )
- Adam MakowiczAdam MakowiczAdam Makowicz born Adam Matyszkowicz is a Polish-Canadian pianist and composer living in Toronto. He performs jazz and classical piano pieces, as well as his own compositions...
(1940– ) - Junior ManceJunior ManceJulian Clifford Mance, Jr. is an American jazz pianist and composer.-Biography:...
(1928– ) - Frank MantoothFrank MantoothFrank Mantooth was an American jazz pianist and arranger.Mantooth attended University of North Texas College of Music, graduating in 1969, then played in and arranged for the Air Force Academy Falconaires from 1969 to 1973...
- Tânia MariaTania MariaTania Maria is a Brazilian artist, singer, composer, bandleader and piano player, singing mostly in Portuguese or English. Her Brazilian-style music is mostly vocal, sometimes pop, often jazzy, and includes samba, bossa, Afro-Latin, Pop and Jazz fusion.-Biography:Born in São Luís, Maranhão,...
(1948– ) - César Camargo MarianoCesar Camargo MarianoCesar Camargo Mariano is a Brazilian pianist, arranger, composer and music producer. He is one of the most renowned instrumental artists to come out of his home country.-Biography:...
(1943– ) - Phil MarkowitzPhil MarkowitzPhil Markowitz is a jazz pianist and educator.He graduated from the Eastman School of Music and in 1979 had his "first big break" working with Chet Baker's band. He is most known as a sideman. He made a 1980 recording entitled Sno' Peas with Eddie Gomez and Al Foster. He recorded two live duo...
(1952– ) - Jon MarksJon MarksJon Marks was a New Orleans jazz pianist.-Early influences:...
(1947–2007) - Michael "Dodo" MarmarosaDodo MarmarosaMichael "Dodo" Marmarosa was an American bebop pianist.-Biography:Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a child prodigy, Marmarosa was a trained classical pianist, but familiarised himself with jazz in parallel and practised with school mate Erroll Garner, another pianist from Pittsburgh...
(1925–2002) - Denman MaroneyDenman MaroneyDenman Maroney is a jazz musician who plays what he calls "hyperpiano." Hyperpiano "involves stopping, sliding, bowing, plucking, striking and strumming the strings with copper bars, aluminum bowls, rubber blocks, plastic boxes and other household objects." This is sometimes done with one hand...
- Andre MarquesAndre MarquesAndre Marques is a Brazilian jazz pianist working with the Hermeto Pascoal group since the mid-1990s.- References :...
- Ellis Marsalis, Jr.Ellis Marsalis, Jr.Ellis Marsalis is an American musician. He can usually be seen performing on Fridays at Snug Harbor jazz bistro in New Orleans.- Life and career :...
(1934– ) - Peter MartinPeter MartinPeter James Martin is an English former cricketer who played in 8 Tests and 20 ODIs for England from 1995 to 1998.Nicknamed "Digger", Martin was primarily a fast-medium swing bowler...
(1970– ) - Ronnie MathewsRonnie MathewsRonnie Mathews was a jazz pianist primarily known for his work with other musicians, including Max Roach from 1963 to 1968 and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. He acted as lead in recording from 1963 and 1978 - 1979...
(1935–200b ) - Keiko MatsuiKeiko Matsui, born in Tokyo as Keiko Doi, is a Japanese smooth jazz/jazz fusion/new age/ keyboardist and composer whose career spans three decades, during which time she has released twenty CDs and has received international acclaim....
(1961– ) - Rebeca MauleonRebeca MauleonRebeca Mauleón is an American pianist, composer, arranger and writer, specializing in salsa and other Latin American and Afro-Caribbean music.-Career:...
(1962– ) - Bill MaysBill MaysWilliam Allen Mays , best known as Bill Mays, is a jazz pianist from Sacramento, California He came from a musical family and at fifteen he became interested in jazz at an Earl Hines concert....
(1944– ) - Lyle MaysLyle MaysLyle Mays is an American jazz pianist and composer from Wausaukee, Wisconsin. He is best known for his work with guitarist Pat Metheny as a member of the Pat Metheny Group...
(1953– ) - Barney McAllBarney McAllBarney McAll is a jazz pianist and composer.Barney McAll completed a Bachelor of Music at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, studying with pianists Paul Grabowsky, Tony Gould and Mike Nock and with guitarist Doug Devries.He moved to New York City from Australia in 1997 to join...
(1966– ) - Les McCannLes McCannLes McCann is an American soul jazz piano player and vocalist whose biggest successes came as a crossover artist into R&B and soul.-Biography:...
(1935– ) - Dave McKennaDave McKennaDave McKenna was a jazz pianist. He was known for his "three-handed swing" and was a leading proponent of solo piano style.-Biography:...
(1930–2008) - Carlos McKinneyCarlos McKinneyCarlos "Los Da Mystro" McKinney is a Grammy-nominated American record producer and jazz pianist.-Biography:McKinney was born into an eminent Detroit jazz family; he is a nephew to pianist Harold McKinney, bassist Ray McKinney, trombonist Bernard McKinney , and drummers Earl McKinney and Walter...
- Jim McNeelyJim McNeelyJim McNeely is a Grammy award winning jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.Jim was born in Chicago, Illinois. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Illinois, and moved to New York City in 1975. In 1978 he joined the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band...
(1949– ) - Marian McPartlandMarian McPartlandMargaret Marian McPartland, OBE is an English-born jazz pianist, composer, writer, and the host of Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on National Public Radio, NPR.-Early life:...
(1918– ) - Jay McShannJay McShannJay McShann was an American Grammy Award-nominated jump blues, mainstream jazz, and swing bandleader, pianist and singer....
(1916–2006) - John MedeskiJohn MedeskiAnthony John Medeski is an American jazz keyboards player and composer. Medeski is a veteran of New York's 1990s avant-garde jazz scene and is known popularly as a member of Medeski Martin & Wood...
(1965– ) - John MeheganJohn MeheganJohn Mehegan was an American jazz pianist, lecturer and critic.Mehegan was born in Wethersfield, Connecticut, and began playing the piano at the age of five. He taught himself to play by matching his fingers to the notes played on a neighborhood player piano. His mother gave him violin lessons,...
(1920–1984) - Brad MehldauBrad MehldauBrad Mehldau is an American jazz pianist. Besides leading his own group, the Brad Mehldau Trio, he has performed with many renowned artists, including Pat Metheny, Wayne Shorter, Larry Grenadier, Peter Bernstein, Jeff Ballard, Joshua Redman, Christian McBride, Michael Brecker, Chris Potter, Kurt...
(1970– ) - Myra MelfordMyra MelfordMyra Melford is a jazz pianist and composer. In recent years, Melford has begun playing the harmonium as well as piano.Melford grew up in the Chicago area...
(1957– ) - Mike MelvoinMike MelvoinMike Melvoin is an American jazz pianist.Melvoin began on piano at age three. He studied English at Dartmouth College, graduating in 1959, but decided to pursue a career in music. After moving to Los Angeles in 1961, he played with Frank Rosolino, Leroy Vinnegar, Gerald Wilson, Paul Horn, Terry...
(1937– ) - Misha MengelbergMisha MengelbergMisha Mengelberg is a Dutch jazz pianist and composer. He won the Gaudeamus International Composers Award in 1961.-Biography:...
(1935– ) - Max Miller (1911–1985)
- Mulgrew MillerMulgrew MillerMulgrew Miller is an American jazz pianist who performs in a number of jazz idioms. He began his career as member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers.-Biography:...
(1955– ) - Andy MilneAndy MilneAndy Milne is a jazz pianist/composer now based in New York. Born in Hamilton, Canada, and partially raised in Kincardine, Ontario and Toronto, Canada, one of 10 siblings, Milne studied Music at York University, Toronto, where he was a student of Oscar Peterson.His musical influences include...
(1969– ) - Charles MingusCharles MingusCharles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...
(1922–1979) - Giovanni MirabassiGiovanni MirabassiGiovanni Mirabassi is a Paris-based Italian jazz pianist, born in Perugia, Italy.Self-taught, he learned by listening to Bud Powell, Art Tatum, and Oscar Peterson. He is strongly influenced by Enrico Pieranunzi...
- Paul MoerPaul MoerPaul Moerschbacher, better known as Paul Moer , was an American jazz pianist.Moer attended the University of Miami, graduating in 1951, and following this played frequently on the West Coast jazz scene with Benny Carter, Vido Musso, Zoot Sims, Stan Getz, Bill Holman, and Shorty Rogers...
(1916– ) - Moses Taiwa MolelekwaMoses Taiwa MolelekwaMoses Taiwa Molelekwa was a South African jazz pianist from a family of jazz musicians. His father was nicknamed "Monk", by the jazz society he belonged to, for his understanding of Thelonious Monk. Despite that poverty and issues concerning apartheid caused Moses education in his childhood to be...
(1973–2001) - Thelonious MonkThelonious MonkThelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...
(1917–1982) - Jeremy MonteiroJeremy MonteiroJeremy Monteiro Jeremy Monteiro Jeremy Monteiro (born June 20, 1960, Singapore, is a Jazz Pianist, Singer, Composer and Music Educator. He has performed and won critical acclaim in many parts of the world, in addition to numerous occasions in Singapore, where he has been dubbed "Singapore's King...
(1960– ) - Buddy MontgomeryBuddy MontgomeryCharles "Buddy" Montgomery was an American jazz vibraphonist and pianist. He was the youngest brother of Wes and Monk Montgomery. He and brother, Monk, formed the "Mastersounds," in the late 50's and produced ten recordings...
(1930–2009) - Tete MontoliuTete MontoliuTete Montoliu was a jazz pianist from Catalonia, Spain. His real name was Vicenç Montoliu i Massana.- Biography :He was born blind, in the Eixample district of Barcelona, and died in the same city....
(1933–1997) - Dudley MooreDudley MooreDudley Stuart John Moore, CBE was an English actor, comedian, composer and musician.Moore first came to prominence as one of the four writer-performers in the ground-breaking comedy revue Beyond the Fringe in the early 1960s, and then became famous as half of the highly popular television...
(1935–2002) - Phil MoorePhil Moore (jazz musician)Phil Moore was an African American jazz pianist, orchestral arranger, band leader, and recording artist.-Biography:...
(1918–1987) - Jason MoranJason Moran (musician)Jason Moran is a jazz pianist and composer who debuted as a band leader with the 1999 album Soundtrack to Human Motion. Since then, he has garnered much critical acclaim and won a number of awards for his playing and compositional skills, which combine elements of stride piano, avant-garde jazz,...
(1975) - Jelly Roll MortonJelly Roll MortonFerdinand Joseph LaMothe , known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American ragtime and early jazz pianist, bandleader and composer....
(1890–1941) - Sal MoscaSal MoscaSal Mosca was an American jazz pianist who was a student of Lennie Tristano. Born in Mount Vernon, New York, Mosca worked in cool jazz and post-bop. He began working with Lee Konitz in 1949 and also worked with Warne Marsh. He spent much of his career teaching and was relatively inactive since...
(1927– ) - Bennie MotenBennie MotenBennie Moten was a noted American jazz pianist and band leader born in Kansas City, Missouri.He led the Kansas City Orchestra, the most important of the itinerant, blues-based orchestras active in the Midwest in the 1920s, and helped to develop the riffing style that would come to define many of...
(1894–1935) - Leszek MożdżerLeszek MozdzerLeszek Możdżer is a Polish jazz pianist. He is also a music producer and a film music composer.He has graduated from the Academy of Music in Gdansk, Poland...
(1971– ) - Carli MunozCarli MuñozCarlos C. Muñoz, better known as Carli Munoz or Carli Muñoz , is a self-taught American jazz pianist.Although born and raised in Puerto Rico, his music of choice was jazz, European avant-garde and American pop music...
- Bob MurphyBob Murphy (musician)Bob Murphy is a veteran Canadian jazz pianist, prominent on the Vancouver, British Columbia and Toronto, Ontario music scenes. A professional musician since age 14, Murphy has composed, arranged, and performed music for films, CBC Television shows, CTV shows, commercials, and CBC radio...
- Romano MussoliniRomano MussoliniRomano Mussolini was the fourth and youngest son of Benito Mussolini, fascist dictator of Italy from 1922 to 1943...
(1927–2006) - Vagif MustafazadehVagif MustafazadehVagif Mustafazadeh , also known as Vagif Mustafa Zadeh, was an Azerbaijani jazz pianist and composer, acclaimed for fusing jazz and traditional Azerbaijani folk music known as mugham...
(1940–1979) - Aziza MustafazadehAziza MustafazadehAziza Mustafa Zadeh also known as The Princess of Jazz, or Die Prinzessin des Jazz or as Jazziza is an Azerbaijani singer, pianist and composer who plays a fusion of jazz and mugam with classical and Avant-garde influences...
(1969- )
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- Simon NabatovSimon NabatovSimon Nabatov is a jazz pianist.He began playing at three and his first composition was at six. He began his professional career in Rome in 1979 and later attended the Juilliard School. In 1984 Keyboard Magazine named him Best Pianist. In 1989 he left New York City, where he had settled, for Cologne...
(1959– ) - Armen NalbandianArmen NalbandianArmen Nalbandian is a jazz pianist, composer & humanitarian.-Music:In addition to the piano, he has been known to perform on the prepared Fender Rhodes mechanical piano, and contributes to produce jazz, improvised and experimental music in California...
(1978– ) - Phineas Newborn, Jr. (1931–1990)
- Herbie NicholsHerbie NicholsHerbie Nichols , was an American jazz pianist and composer who wrote the jazz standard "Lady Sings the Blues". Obscure during his lifetime, he is now highly regarded by many musicians and critics.-Life:...
(1919–1963) - Mike NockMike NockMike Nock is a jazz pianist, currently based in Australia. He began studying piano at 11 and by 18 was performing in Australia. He headed a trio that toured England in 1961 and then attended Berklee College of Music...
(1940- ) - Victor NoriegaVictor Noriega (pianist)Victor Noriega is a Filipino American jazz pianist, based in Seattle.He moved from Canada to the United States with his family soon after birth, and grew up in both Portland, Oregon and Seattle. He began his jazz piano career at age 18...
(1978– ) - Walter NorrisWalter NorrisWalter Norris was an American pianist and composer. -Early life & career:Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on December 27, 1931, Norris first studied piano at home with his mother, then with John Summers, a local church organist...
(1927– )
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- Hod O'Brien (1936– )
- Bill O'ConnellBill O'ConnellBill O'Connell is a jazz pianist and bandleader. He is most associated with Latin jazz and also hard bop. He studied piano at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, but has mostly lived in NYC or Long Island. He worked for Chet Baker and Sonny Rollins at early stages in his career...
(1953– ) - Arturo O'FarrillArturo O'FarrillArturo O'Farrill is a pianist, the son of Latin jazz musician and bandleader Chico O'Farrill. He formerly worked with Carla Bley and eventually took over his father's band. Arturo went on to form the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, which played at Lincoln Center. Under his direction the group recorded...
(1961– ) - Johnny O'NealJohnny O'NealJohnny O'Neal, born October 10, 1956 in Detroit, Michigan, is an American Neo-bop jazz pianist. His playing ranges from the technically virtuosic to the tenderest of ballad interpretations. Though unique in style, he is influenced by many jazz elders, including Oscar Peterson and Art Tatum. He has...
(1956– ) - Junko Onishi (musician) (1967– )
- Makoto OzoneMakoto Ozoneis a Japanese jazz pianist.He began playing organ at two and by seven was an improviser. He appeared on Japanese television with his father from 1968 to 1970. At twelve he switched to piano after being impressed by albums by Oscar Peterson. In 1980 he entered the Berklee College of Music and later...
(1961– )
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- Marty PaichMarty PaichMartin Louis "Marty" Paich was an American pianist, composer, arranger, producer, music director and conductor....
(1925–1995) - Eddie PalmieriEddie PalmieriEddie Palmieri , is a Grammy Award winning Puerto Rican pianist, bandleader and musician, best known for combining jazz piano and instrumental solos with Latin rhythms.-Early years:...
(1936– ) - Dan Papirany (1967– )
- Tiny ParhamTiny ParhamHartzell Strathdene "Tiny" Parham was a Canadian-born American jazz bandleader and pianist of African-American descent....
(1900–1943) - Johnny ParkerJohnny Parker (jazz pianist)Johnny Parker was a British jazz pianist.- Early life :Parker was born in Beckenham, Kent. In 1940, his family moved to Wiltshire where Parker was exposed to American Forces Network broadcasts, and first heard boogie-woogie piano at a US Air Force base...
(1929–2010) - Aaron ParksAaron ParksAaron Parks is a jazz pianist.-Personal:Aaron entered the University of Washington at the age of 14 through the Transition School and Early Entrance Program as a double major in computer science and music...
(1983– ) - Horace ParlanHorace ParlanHorace Parlan is an American hard bop and post-bop piano player.He is noted for his contributions to the classic Charles Mingus recordings Mingus Ah Um and Blues & Roots....
(1931– ) - Hermeto PascoalHermeto PascoalHermeto Pascoal is a Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist. He was born in Lagoa da Canoa, Alagoas, Brazil. Pascoal is a greatly beloved musical figure in the history of Brazilian music, known for his abilities at orchestration and improvisation, as well as being a record producer and...
(1936– ) - Alan PasquaAlan PasquaAlan Pasqua is a jazz pianist, educator and composer who co-composed the CBS Evening News theme. He also has had an extensive career in pop and rock music, most notably as a founding member, keyboardist and songwriter of the 80s hard rock band, Giant. He studied at Indiana University and the New...
(1952– ) - João PauloJoão PauloJoão Paulo is a Portuguese given name, the equivalent of "John Paul" in English. It also may be refer to:*João Paulo Daniel , Brazilian footballer*Sérgio Luís Donizetti , aka João Paulo, former Brazilian footballer...
- Raimonds PaulsRaimonds PaulsRaimonds Pauls is a Latvian and Soviet composer and piano player who is well-known and respected in Latvia and the former Soviet Union.-Music:...
- Charlie PeacockCharlie PeacockCharlie Peacock is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, record producer, session musician and author. While growing up in California Peacock was inspired by John Coltrane and began playing the piano. After completing his education, Peacock formed a band and began a career as a professional...
(1956– ) - Duke PearsonDuke PearsonDuke Pearson was an American jazz pianist and composer. Allmusic notes him as being a "big part in shaping the Blue Note label's hard bop direction in the 1960s as a producer."-History:...
(1932–1980) - César "Pupy" Pedroso
- Kim PensylKim PensylKim Pensyl is a pop-jazz and New Age music keyboardist. He attended Ohio State University, and the University of California, Northridge for graduate school and had several CDs produced by Shanachie Records. He has worked in bands with Al Hirt, Don Ellis, Hubert Laws, Gerald Wilson, and Guy Lombardo...
- Danilo PérezDanilo PérezDanilo Pérez is a Panamanian pianist and composer.-Early life:Danilo Pérez was born in Panama in 1965. He is considered one of the finest contemporary pianists and jazz composers of our era....
(1966– ) - Carl PerkinsCarl Perkins (pianist)Carl Perkins was an American jazz pianist.Perkins was born in Indianapolis but worked mainly in Los Angeles. He is best known for his performances with the Curtis Counce Quintet, which also featured Harold Land, Jack Sheldon and drummer Frank Butler...
(1928–1958) - Oscar PetersonOscar PetersonOscar 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...
(1925–2007) - Ross PetotRoss PetotRoss Petot is an American ragtime, jazz and stride pianist and composer. He is considered the predominant stride piano player in all of New England....
- Michel PetruccianiMichel PetruccianiMichel Petrucciani was a French jazz pianist.-Biography:...
(1962–1999) - Enrico PieranunziEnrico PieranunziEnrico Pieranunzi is an Italian jazz pianist. He fuses classical technique with jazz.He has performed with, among others, Frank Rosolino, Sal Nistico, Kenny Clarke, Johnny Griffin, Chet Baker, Joey Baron, Art Farmer, Jim Hall, Marc Johnson, Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Bill Smith, Charlie Haden, Mads...
(1949– ) - Billie PierceBillie PierceWilhelmina Goodson, better known as Billie Pierce was an American jazz pianist and singer.She was born in Marianna, Florida, United States one of seven piano-playing sisters , born to a mother and father who both themselves played piano...
(1907–1974) - Nat PierceNat PierceNat Pierce was an American jazz pianist and arranger born in Somerville, Massachusetts, perhaps best-known for being pianist and arranger for the Woody Herman band from 1951–1955...
(1925–1992) - Jean-Michel PilcJean-Michel PilcJean-Michel Pilc is a self-taught French-born jazz pianist currently residing in New York. His technical ability has drawn comparisons to Michel Petrucciani, McCoy Tyner, and Cecil Taylor. Of particular note is Pilc's left-hand technique, which provides an almost ambidextrous approach to the...
(1960- ) - Mika PohjolaMika PohjolaMika Pohjola is a Finnish-born jazz pianist and composer, who resides in New York City. He is one of the most prolific Scandinavian jazz musicians in his generation.-Childhood in Helsinki, Finland 1971-87:...
(1971– ) - Terry PollardTerry PollardTerry Pollard was a jazz pianist prominent in the Detroit jazz scene of the 1940s and 1950s. She has been described as a "major player who was inexplicably overlooked."...
(1931-2009) - Kerry PolitzerKerry PolitzerKerry Politzer is a jazz pianist and composer with classical and Brazilian influences.She is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Charlie Banacos. She also attended the North Carolina School of the Arts, Tanglewood, Interlochen, Yellow Barn and the Banff Jazz...
- Paul PosnakPaul PosnakPaul Posnak is an American pianist and music academic. He is noted for playing repertoires mixing twentieth century American music with European romantic classics, ranging from George Gershwin to Frédéric Chopin, from classical to jazz...
- Bud PowellBud PowellEarl Rudolph "Bud" Powell was an American Jazz pianist. Powell has been described as one of "the two most significant pianists of the style of modern jazz that came to be known as bop", the other being his friend and contemporary Thelonious Monk...
(1924–1966) - Mel PowellMel PowellMel Powell was a jazz pianist and composer of classical music.Mel Epstein was born to Russian Jewish parents, Milton Epstein and Mildred Mark Epstein, and began playing piano as a child. He performed jazz professionally in New York City as a teenager...
(1923–1998) - Richie PowellRichie PowellRichie Powell was an American bebop jazz pianist.Powell was born into a musical family in New York City, and was the younger brother of Bud Powell...
(1931–1956) - Roy PowellRoy PowellRoy Powell is a British jazz pianist, organist and composer. He first came to wider recognition when his first CD A Big Sky was released in 1994, the Gramophone Jazz Good CD Guide 1997 calling it "extraordinarily accomplished"...
- André PrevinAndré PrevinAndré George Previn, KBE is an American pianist, conductor, and composer. He is considered one of the most versatile musicians in the world, and is the winner of four Academy Awards for his film work and ten Grammy Awards for his recordings. -Early Life:Previn was born in...
(1929– ) - Sammy PriceSammy PriceSammy Price was an American jazz, boogie-woogie and jump blues pianist and bandleader. He was born Samuel Blythe Price, in Honey Grove, Texas, United States. Price was most noteworthy for his work on Decca Records with his own band, known as the Texas Bluesicians, that included fellow musicians...
(1908–1992) - Clarence ProfitClarence ProfitClarence Profit was a jazz pianist and composer associated with swing.He came from a musical family and began studying piano at age three and led a ten-piece band in New York City in his teens. A visit to his grandparents in Antigua led to his staying in the Caribbean for five years and he also led...
- John ProulxJohn ProulxJohn Proulx is a jazz pianist, vocalist, and Grammy Award winning composer out of Los Angeles, California. His singing style has elicited comparisons to a young Chet Baker. He is a MAXJAZZ recording artist. His debut album, Moon and Sand, was released on August 1, 2006.-Career:John Proulx is...
- Don PullenDon PullenDon Pullen was an American jazz pianist and organist. Pullen developed a strikingly individual style throughout his career. He composed masterworks ranging from blues to bebop and modern jazz...
(1941–1995) - Kym PurlingKym PurlingKym Purling is an Australian pianist, composer and conductor, who was found abandoned at 2–3 days of age during the Vietnam War. After spending the first several months of his life in two orphanages, he was later adopted at the age of nine months to Australia, becoming the first international...
(1972– ) - Alton PurnellAlton PurnellAlton Purnell was an American jazz pianist. He was a longtime performer in Dixieland jazz....
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- Sun RaSun RaSun Ra was a prolific jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy," musical compositions and performances. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama...
(1914–1993) - Johnny RaducanuJohnny RaducanuJohnny Răducanu was a Romanian jazz pianist of Romani ethnic background, whose family has a long musical tradition dating back to the 17th century....
(1931–2011) - Ziad RahbaniZiad RahbaniZiad Rahbani is a Lebanese composer, pianist, performer, playwright, and political commentator. His compositions are well-known throughout the Arab world...
(1956– ) - Iiro RantalaIiro RantalaIiro Rantala is a Finnish jazz pianist. He has studied piano in the jazz department of Sibelius Academy and classical piano in Manhattan School of Music. He is one of the best known Finnish jazz pianists, both in Finland and abroad. He's a pianist and composer of Trio Töykeät, a Finnish jazz trio...
(1970– ) - Ray ReachRay ReachRaymond Everett Reach, Jr. is an American pianist, vocalist and educator residing in Birmingham, Alabama, now serving as Director of Student Jazz Programs for the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, director of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame All-Stars and President and CEO of Ray Reach Music and Magic City...
(1948– ) - Dana ReasonDana ReasonDana Reason is a Canadian pianist and composer. She has been featured on National Public Radio , the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Radio Canada.-Early life and career:Born in Canada, Reason began lessons on the piano at the age of 3...
- Jason RebelloJason RebelloJason Rebello is a British jazz pianist, currently part of Sting's live and studio band, who has recorded a handful of albums under his own name. His debut album, A Clearer View was produced by Wayne Shorter....
(1969– ) - Freddie ReddFreddie ReddFreddie Redd is an American hard bop pianist and composer.His greatest success came in the late 1950s in the play and movie The Connection, in which he both played and acted in New York City, London, and Paris. He also played on the soundtrack album...
(1928– ) - Eric ReedEric Reed (musician)Eric Scott Reed, , in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an American jazz pianist and composer.His group Black Note released several albums in the 1990s.-Biography:...
(1970– ) - Henri RenaudHenri RenaudHenri Renaud was a French jazz pianist and record company executive.His styles reflected the decades when he was musically active: he played in the Swing, Bebop and Cool styles. He developed renown internationally when he served as an ensemble-organizing point-man for visiting jazz performers...
(1925–2002) - Sam RiversSam RiversSamuel Carthorne Rivers , is an American jazz musician and composer. He performs on soprano and tenor saxophones, bass clarinet, flute, harmonica and piano....
(1923– ) - Luckey RobertsLuckey RobertsCharles Luckeyeth Roberts, better known as Luckey Roberts was an American composer and stride pianist who worked in the jazz, ragtime, and blues styles.-Biography:...
(1887–1968) - Marcus RobertsMarcus RobertsMarcus Roberts is an American jazz pianist who has achieved fame as a stride pianist committed to celebrating classic standards and jazz traditions. Roberts has also distinguished his solos by accompanying himself with walking basslines...
(1963– ) - J. Russell RobinsonJ. Russell RobinsonJoseph Russel Robinson was a United States ragtime and dixieland jazz pianist and a composer of jazz, blues, and popular tunes....
(1892–1963) - Alfredo RodriguezAlfredo RodriguezAlfredo Rodríguez was a Cuban Jazz piano player.He moved to Manhattan in 1960, and later to Paris in 1985...
(1936–2005) - Bryce RohdeBryce RohdeBryce Benno Rohde is an Australian jazz pianist and composer. He was strongly influenced by George Russell's musical conceptions....
(1923- ) - Matt RollingsMatt RollingsMatt Rollings is an American composer, musician and record producer. He plays piano, organ, and keyboards.Known mainly for playing in Lyle Lovett's Large Band, he has worked with many artists, not all country...
- Marc van RoonMarc van RoonMarc van Roon is a Dutch jazz pianist. He combines music performance with his work as a creative facilitator for leaders, groups and organizations in change and learning processes applying the art of improvisation as the main source of inspiration...
(1967– ) - Ted RosenthalTed RosenthalTed Rosenthal is an American jazz pianist. He has worked with jazz legends such as Gerry Mulligan and was featured on David Sanborn's series Night Music, in addition to releasing several critically acclaimed CDs of his own...
(1959– ) - Renee RosnesRenee RosnesIrene Louise Rosnes , professionally known as Renee Rosnes , is a pianist, composer and arranger in the hard bop and post-bop mediums.-Biography:...
(1962– ) - Jimmy RowlesJimmy RowlesJimmy Rowles was an American jazz pianist who was best known as an accompanist. He also released a number of albums under his own name, and explored various idioms including swing and cool jazz. - Biography :Born in Spokane, Washington, Rowles studied at Gonzaga College in Spokane, Washington...
(1918–1996) - Gonzalo RubalcabaGonzalo RubalcabaGonzalo Rubalcaba is a Grammy Award-winning Cuban jazz pianist and composer.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...
(1963– ) - Hilton RuizHilton RuizHilton Ruiz was a Puerto Rican American jazz pianist in the Afro-Cuban jazz mold, but was also a talented bebop player....
(1952–2006) - Otmaro RuizOtmaro RuizOtmaro Ruíz is a Venezuelan pianist, keyboardist, composer and arranger.-Career:Ruíz began his formal musical studies at the age of eight on piano, classical guitar, harmony, history and aesthetics. He also was exposed to other artistic activities such as drawing and acting...
(1964- ) - Patrice RushenPatrice RushenPatrice Rushen is a Grammy Award-winning African American R&B and jazz vocalist, composer and pianist.-Biography:...
(1954– ) - Luis RussellLuis RussellLuis Russell was a jazz pianist and bandleader.Luis Carl Russell was born on Careening Cay, near Bocas del Toro, Panama, in a family of Afro-Caribbean ancestry. His father was a music teacher, and young Luis learned to play violin, guitar, trombone, and piano...
(1902–1963) - George Russell (1923–2009 )
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- Philippe SaissePhilippe SaissePhilippe Saisse is a French Grammy Award-nominated Smooth Jazz and New Age music keyboardist, producer and arranger.He was born in Marseille and raised in Paris. After studying at the Conservatoire de Paris he won a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music. He became the protege of Gary Burton...
- Joe SampleJoe SampleJoseph Leslie "Joe" Sample is an American pianist, keyboard player and composer.He is one of the founding members of the Jazz Crusaders, the band which became simply The Crusaders in 1971, and remained a part of the group until its final album in 1991 .- Biography :Sample began playing the piano...
(1939– ) - Arturo SandovalArturo SandovalArturo Sandoval is a jazz trumpeter and pianist. He was born in Artemisa, in the newest renamed Artemisa Province, Cuba....
(1949– ) - Jovino Santos-NetoJovino Santos-NetoJovino Santos-Neto is a Brazilian American jazz pianist, flutist, composer, arranger, educator and producer....
(1954– ) - Bernardo Sassetti
- Lalo SchifrinLalo SchifrinLalo Schifrin is an Argentine composer, pianist and conductor. He is best known for his film and TV scores, such as the "Theme from Mission: Impossible". He has received four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations...
(1932– ) - Alexander von SchlippenbachAlexander von SchlippenbachAlexander von Schlippenbach is a German jazz pianist and composer.-Biography:...
(1938– ) - Diane SchuurDiane SchuurDiane Schuur is an American jazz singer and pianist. Nicknamed "Deedles", she has won two Grammy Awards, headlined many of the world's most prestigious music venues, including Carnegie Hall and The White House and has toured the world performing with such greats as Quincy Jones, Stan Getz, B. B...
(1953– ) - Irène SchweizerIrène SchweizerIrène Schweizer is a notable Swiss jazz and free improvising pianist. She was born in Schaffhausen, in 1941.She has performed and recorded numerous solo piano performances as well as performing as part of the Feminist Improvising Group, whose members include Lindsay Cooper, Maggie Nichols, Georgie...
(1941– ) - Hazel ScottHazel ScottHazel Dorothy Scott was an internationally known, American jazz and classical pianist and singer.-Early years and education:...
(1920–1981) - Stephen ScottStephen Scott (jazz pianist)Stephen Scott is an African American jazz pianist. As a solo artist he has recorded for Verve Records and Enja Records.-As leader:...
(1969– ) - Gaea SchellGaea SchellGaea Schell is a Los Angeles-based jazz pianist/composer and singer. She is a native of Alberta, Canada where she grew up playing music from an early age. During the pursuit of a classical harp degree in college, Gaea began listening to piano greats Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans and Red Garland ...
(1975– ) - George ShearingGeorge ShearingSir George Shearing, OBE was an Anglo-American jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for MGM Records and Capitol Records. The composer of over 300 titles, he had multiple albums on the Billboard charts during the 1950s, 1960s, 1980s and 1990s...
(1919– ) - Matthew ShippMatthew ShippMatthew Shipp is an American pianist, composer and bandleader.Shipp was raised in Wilmington, Delaware, and began playing piano at six years old. His mother was a friend of trumpeter Clifford Brown....
(1960– ) - Ayako ShirasakiAyako Shirasakiis a Japanese jazz pianist and composer living in Brooklyn, New York. She began her professional career at the age of twelve by playing gigs at the "J" jazz club in Tokyo. She was featured in Swing Journal...
- Travis ShookTravis ShookTravis Shook is a jazz pianist who made his eponymous Columbia Records debut in a quartet that included Tony Williams and Bunky Green. He received much critical acclaim for this first effort, but failed to hold onto the contract when Sony purged a large percentage of the Columbia jazz roster upon...
(1969– ) - Bobby ShortBobby ShortRobert Waltrip "Bobby" Short was an American cabaret singer and pianist, best known for his interpretations of songs by popular composers of the first half of the 20th century such as Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, Noel Coward and George and Ira Gershwin.He...
(1924–2005) - Ben SidranBen SidranBen Sidran is an American jazz and rock pianist, organist, vocalist and writer born in Chicago, noted for his work with the early Steve Miller Band.-Biography:...
(1943- ) - Horace SilverHorace SilverHorace Silver , born Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silva in Norwalk, Connecticut, is an American jazz pianist and composer....
(1928– ) - Norman SimmonsNorman Simmons (musician)Norman Simmons is an American arranger, composer, educator, and most prominently a pianist who has worked extensively with Helen Humes, Carmen McRae, and Sarah Vaughan, Anita O'Day, and Joe Williams among others.-Biography:...
- Edward Simon (1969– )
- Nina SimoneNina SimoneEunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
(1933–2003) - Ruslan SirotaRuslan SirotaRuslan Sirota is a Grammy Award winning pianist, keyboardist, composer and producer.-Biography:Ruslan was born in Uman, Ukraine to a Jewish family on November 4, 1980. His father, Yefim, who was an active local guitarist, had introduced him to music at an early age...
(1980– ) - Jay SmithJay SmithJay Alexander Smith is an English footballer who plays for Conference National side AFC Telford, where he plays as a midfielder.-Playing career:Smith started his professional football career with Aston Villa...
(1983) - Clarence "Pinetop" SmithPinetop SmithClarence Smith, better known as Pinetop Smith or Pine Top Smith was an American boogie-woogie style blues pianist...
(1904–1929) - Paul SmithPaul Smith (pianist)Paul Smith , is a jazz pianist. He has performed in various genres of jazz, most typically bebop. However, he has also performed in cool jazz, swing music, and traditional pop.He was born in San Diego, California...
- Willie "The Lion" Smith (1897–1973)
- Martial SolalMartial SolalMartial Solal is a French jazz pianist and composer, who is probably most widely known for the music he wrote for Jean-Luc Godard's debut feature film À bout de souffle .-Biography:...
(1927– ) - Jess StacyJess StacyJess Stacy was an American jazz pianist who gained prominence during the Swing era.-Early life:Stacy was born Jesse Alexandria Stacy in Bird's Point, Missouri, a small town across the Mississippi River from Cairo, Illinois. In 1918 Stacy moved to Cape Girardeau, Missouri...
(1904–1994) - Bobo StensonBobo StensonBo Gustav Stenson is a Swedish jazz pianist. Stenson was noted as early as 1963, when he stepped up from the local scene in Västerås to start playing frequently in Stockholm, where he accompanied a long line of visiting American players including Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz and Gary Burton...
(1944– ) - Tommy StewartTommy Stewart (trumpeter)Tommy Stewart is an American trumpeter, arranger, producer, composer and pianist residing in Birmingham, Alabama. He is a member of several active performing groups, including the Magic City Jazz Orchestra, Cleveland Eaton and the Alabama All-Stars, the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame All-Stars, and Ray...
(1939– ) - Geoff StradlingGeoff StradlingGeoff Stradling is an American pianist, keyboardist, composer, arranger and orchestrator. He has recorded with Ernestine Anderson , Ladd McIntosh, Kenny Goldberg, Joe Gallardo, and Jane's Addiction on Ritual de lo Habitual .He is a noted jazz...
, (1955– ) - Charley StraightCharley StraightCharles Theodore Straight , better known as Charley Straight, was an American pianist, bandleader and composer. He started his career in 1909 accompanying singer Gene Greene in Vaudeville. In 1916 he began working at the Imperial Piano Roll Company in Chicago were he recorded dozens of piano rolls...
(1891–1940) - Billy StrayhornBilly StrayhornWilliam Thomas "Billy" Strayhorn was an American composer, pianist and arranger, best known for his successful collaboration with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington lasting nearly three decades. His compositions include "Chelsea Bridge", "Take the "A" Train" and "Lush Life".-Early...
(1915–1967) - Frank StrazzeriFrank StrazzeriFrank Strazzeri is an American jazz pianist.Strazzeri began on tenor saxophone and clarinet at age 12, then switched to piano soon after. He attended the Eastman School of Music, then took a job as a house pianist in a nightclub in Rochester in 1952. While there he accompanied visiting musicians...
(1930– ) - Joe SullivanJoe SullivanMichael Joseph "Joe" O'Sullivan was an American jazz pianist.Sullivan was the ninth child of Irish immigrant parents. He studied classical piano for 12 years and at age 17, he began to play popular music in a club where he was exposed to jazz...
(1906–1971) - Helen SungHelen Sung- History :Sung is a native of Houston, Texas. Her musical life began with classical piano and violin. She attended Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and went on to receive undergraduate and master's degrees in classical piano performance at the University of Texas at...
- Ralph SuttonRalph SuttonRalph Earl Sutton was an American jazz pianist born in Hamburg, Missouri. He was a stride pianist in the tradition of James P. Johnson and Fats Waller....
(1922–2001) - Esbjörn SvenssonEsbjörn SvenssonEsbjörn Svensson was a jazz pianist and founder of the jazz group Esbjörn Svensson Trio, commonly known as E.S.T...
(1964–2008)
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- Craig TabornCraig TabornCraig Taborn is an American keyboardist and composer. Playing piano, organ, and Moog synthesizer, Taborn has worked mostly in jazz, although he also does dark ambient and techno music....
- Aki TakaseAki Takaseis a critically acclaimed, award-winning Japanese jazz pianist and composer.-Biography:Raised in Tokyo, she studied music at Tohogakuen Music University. Starting in 1978, she performed and recorded in the USA with Lester Bowie, David Liebman, John Zorn and others...
(1948– ) - Israel TanenbaumIsrael TanenbaumIsrael Tanenbaum-Rivera is a Puerto Rican pianist, record producer, composer, arranger and audio engineer who has produced more than 50 albums and participated in over 100 recordings.-Salsa:...
(1961– ) - Horace TapscottHorace TapscottHorace Tapscott was an American jazz pianist and composer. He formed the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra in 1961 and led the ensemble through the 1990s...
(1934–1999) - Art TatumArt TatumArthur "Art" Tatum, Jr. was an American jazz pianist and virtuoso who played with phenomenal facility despite being nearly blind.Tatum is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time...
(1909–1956) - Billy TaylorBilly TaylorBilly Taylor was an American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. He was the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music at East Carolina University in Greenville, and since 1994, he was the artistic director for jazz at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in...
(1921–2010) - Cecil TaylorCecil TaylorCecil Percival Taylor is an American pianist and poet. Classically trained, Taylor is generally acknowledged as one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an extremely energetic, physical approach, producing complex improvised sounds, frequently involving tone clusters and...
(1929– ) - John TaylorJohn Taylor (jazz)John Taylor is a British jazz pianist; he has occasionally performed on the organ and the synthesiser. He is one of Europe's most celebrated jazz pianists and composers.-Performing career:...
(1942– ) - Richard TeeRichard TeeRichard Tee was a pianist, studio musician, singer and arranger.Tee graduated from the High School of Music and Art and attended the Manhattan School of Music. Though better known as a studio and session musician, Tee led a jazz ensemble, the Richard Tee Committee, and was a founding member of the...
(1943–1993) - Jacky TerrassonJacky TerrassonJacques-Laurent Terrasson is a jazz pianist better known as Jacky Terrasson.He was born in Germany, but his mother was American and his father French. He studied at the Berklee College of Music before playing in Chicago and New York City clubs. He gained increased attention on winning the 1993...
(1965– ) - Don ThompsonDon Thompson (musician)Donald Winston Thompson, OC is a Canadian jazz musician who plays bass, piano, and vibes. Thompson formed part of the Toronto Quartet of Paul Desmond during the mid seventies, and that effort produced two stellar albums. Other personnel on those dates, mostly at Bourbon Street in Toronto, were...
(1940– ) - Butch ThompsonButch ThompsonButch Thompson is an American jazz pianist and clarinetist best known for his ragtime and stride performances....
(1943– ) - Sir Charles Thompson (1918– )
- Claude ThornhillClaude ThornhillClaude Thornhill was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader...
(1909–1965) - Bobby TimmonsBobby TimmonsRobert Henry "Bobby" Timmons was an African American jazz pianist and composer.He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is best known for his role as sideman in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and the composition of "Moanin'", "Dat Dere", and "This Here", each of which are typical of his...
(1935–1974) - Keith TippettKeith TippettKeith Tippett is a British jazz pianist and composer.Tippett, the son of a local police officer, went to Greenway Boys Secondary Modern school in Southmead, Bristol. He formed his first jazz band called The KT7 whilst still at school and they performed numbers popular at the time by The Temperance...
(1947– ) - Billy TiptonBilly TiptonBilly Lee Tipton was an American jazz musician and bandleader. Born Dorothy Tipton, he also notable for the discovery, after his death, that he was female assigned at birth.- Early life :...
(1914–1989) - Paul TobeyPaul TobeyCanadian jazz pianist Paul Tobey is also a producer, arranger, composer, director with several credits under his belt including 6 jazz albums, 2 popular piano albums, 1 symphony album, 3 Christmas Albums, 2 documentaries, one Live Performance DVD and one anthology.He has toured and recorded with...
(1962– ) - Tim Tobias (1952–2006)
- Allen ToussaintAllen ToussaintAllen Toussaint is an American musician, composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B.Many of Toussaint's songs have become familiar through numerous cover versions, including "Working in the Coalmine", "Ride Your Pony", "Fortune Teller", "Play Something Sweet ", "Southern...
(1938– ) - Stan TraceyStan TraceyStanley William Tracey CBE is a British jazz pianist and composer, most influenced by Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk.-Early career:...
(1926– ) - Lennie TristanoLennie TristanoLeonard Joseph Tristano was a jazz pianist, composer and teacher of jazz improvisation. He performed in the cool jazz, bebop, post bop and avant-garde jazz genres. He remains a somewhat overlooked figure in jazz history, but his enormous originality and dazzling work as an improviser have long...
(1919–1978) - Terry TrotterTerry TrotterTerry Trotter is a studio pianist living in Los Angeles. He has recorded with such notable artists as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, and many others. Trotter composed the theme music to the television show Everybody Loves Raymond....
- Dick TwardzikDick TwardzikRichard Twardzik was a jazz pianist known for bebop who worked for the bulk of his career in Boston.He trained in classical piano as a child and made his professional debut at 14...
(1931–1955) - McCoy TynerMcCoy TynerMcCoy Tyner is a jazz pianist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet and a long solo career.-Early life:...
(1938– )
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- Chucho ValdésChucho ValdésChucho Valdés is a Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger. In 1972 he founded the group Irakere, one of Cuba's best-known Latin jazz bands. Together with pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Valdés is revered as one of Cuba's greatest jazz pianists...
(1941– ) - Jose ValdesJose ValdesJose Angel Valdes is Chicago-based, Mexican American jazz pianist and bandleader.-Musical education & influences:...
(1957– ) - Fred Van HoveFred Van HoveFred Van Hove is a Belgian jazz musician and a pioneer of European free jazz. He is a pianist, accordionist, church organist, and carillonist, an improviser and a composer...
- Johnny VarroJohnny VarroJohnny Varro is a pianist with in the swing style of jazz. He also is a leader and arranger.-Commodore Music Shop:...
(1930– ) - Father Tom VaughnFather Tom VaughnFather Tom Vaughn is an American Jazz pianist and Episcopalian priest.-Early life:Born Thomas Wade Vaughn on October 14, 1936 in Benton, Kentucky, young Tom Vaughn began his music study on the piano around the age of five under the tutelage of his mother, Elizabeth. The piano was the instrument of...
(1937– )
W
- Mal WaldronMal WaldronMalcolm Earl Waldron was an American jazz and world music pianist and composer, born in New York City.Like his contemporaries, Waldron's roots lie chiefly in the hard bop and post-bop genres of the New York club scene of the 1950s; but with time, he gravitated more towards free jazz and composition...
(1926–2002) - Fats WallerFats WallerFats Waller , born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer...
(1904–1943) - Per Henrik WallinPer Henrik WallinPer Henrik Wallin was a Swedish jazz pianist and composer. He was acclaimed in Continental Europe, but relatively obscure in the United States. He received the Swedish variant of the Golden Django two years before his death....
(1946–2005) - George WallingtonGeorge WallingtonGeorge Wallington was a highly regarded American bop pianist and composer....
(1924–1993) - Cedar WaltonCedar WaltonCedar Anthony Walton, Junior is an American hard bop jazz pianist.-Biography:Walton grew up in Dallas, Texas. His mother was an aspiring concert pianist, and was Walton's initial teacher. She also took him to jazz performances around Dallas...
(1934– ) - Teddy WeatherfordTeddy WeatherfordTeddy Weatherford was a jazz pianist, an accomplished stride pianist.Weatherford was born in Pocahontas, Virginia and was raised in neighboring Bluefield, West Virginia. From 1915 through 1920 he lived in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he learned to play jazz piano...
(1903–1945) - Jon WeberJon WeberJon Weber is a New York City and Chicago-based jazz pianist and composer whose compositions and performances have met critical and popular acclaim in many countries around the world...
(1961– ) - Vince WeberVince WeberVince Weber is a German blues and boogie-woogie pianist.-Biography:Weber started his first piano lessons, when he was aged ten in 1963...
(1953– ) - Gerry WeilGerry WeilGerhard Weilheim, better known as Gerry Weil , is a Austrian born Venezuelan jazz musician. His first contact with music, started after the allied victory in Europe during the final days of World War II...
(1939– ) - Michael WeissMichael Weiss (composer)Michael David Weiss , is a jazz pianist and composer best known for his fifteen year association with saxophonist Johnny Griffin....
(1958– ) - Dick WellstoodDick WellstoodRichard MacQueen "Dick" Wellstood was an American jazz pianist...
(1927–1987) - Kenny WernerKenny WernerKenny Werner is an American jazz pianist.-Biography:Kenny Werner is a world-class pianist and composer. His prolific output of compositions, recordings and publications continue to impact audiences around the world....
(1951– ) - Mike WestbrookMike WestbrookMichael John David 'Mike' Westbrook is an English jazz pianist, composer, and writer of orchestrated jazz pieces.-Early work:Mike Westbrook grew up in Torquay...
(1936– ) - Randy WestonRandy WestonRandy Weston , is an American jazz pianist and composer, of Jamaican parentage.-Biography:Weston studied classical piano as a child. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, he ran a restaurant that was frequented by many of the leading bebop musicians...
(1926– ) - Gerald WigginsGerald WigginsGerald Wiggins was a jazz pianist and organist. He studied classical, but switched to jazz in his teens. He began as a professional playing accompaniment to Stepin Fetchit. He worked with Louis Armstrong and Benny Carter. In the 1940s he moved to Los Angeles where he played music for television...
(1922–2008) - Rudi WilferRudi WilferRudi Wilfer is an Austrian pianist and composer whose career as a jazz musician began in 1959.He is a jazz pianist and teacher at the conservatory in Vienna...
(1936– ) - Clarence Williams (1898–1965)
- Jessica WilliamsJessica WilliamsJessica Jennifer Williams is an American pianist and composer who has deep roots in jazz. She has been called "one of the top jazz pianists of today."-History:...
(1948– ) - Mary Lou WilliamsMary Lou WilliamsMary Lou Williams was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Williams wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements, and recorded more than one hundred records...
(1910–1981) - Claude WilliamsonClaude WilliamsonClaude Berkeley Williamson is a jazz pianist.Williamson studied at the New England Conservatory of Music before moving to jazz, influenced mainly by Teddy Wilson, then by Al Haig and Bud Powell...
(1926– ) - Larry WillisLarry WillisLawrence Elliott Willis is an American jazz pianist and composer. He has performed in a wide range of styles, including jazz fusion rock music, Bebop and Avant-Garde...
(1942– ) - Gerald WilsonGerald WilsonGerald Stanley Wilson is an American jazz trumpeter, big band bandleader, composer/arranger, 8 time Grammy nominee, and educator. He has been based in Los Angeles since the early 1940s....
(1918– ) - Teddy WilsonTeddy WilsonTheodore Shaw "Teddy" Wilson was an American jazz pianist whose sophisticated and elegant style was featured on the records of many of the biggest names in jazz, including Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald.-Biography:Wilson was born in Austin, Texas in...
(1912–1986) - Mike WoffordMike WoffordMike Wofford is a jazz pianist born February 28, 1938 in San Antonio, Texas, raised in San Diego, California.He is best known as an accompanist to and music director for singers Sarah Vaughan , Ella Fitzgerald and others...
(1938– ) - Michael WolffMichael WolffMichael Blieden Wolff is an American jazz pianist, composer, producer, actor, and jazz educator. He was the bandleader and musical director of The Arsenio Hall Show...
(1954– ) - Richard WyandsRichard WyandsRichard Wyands is a hard bop pianist best known as a side-man. He began playing in his teens in San Francisco, but later moved to New York City. He worked with Kenny Burrell in the 1960s and also played in Gigi Gryce's quintet...
(1928– ) - Howard WyethHoward WyethHoward Pyle Wyeth , also known as Howie Wyeth, was an American drummer and pianist. Wyeth is remembered for work with the saxophonist James Moody, the rockabilly singer Robert Gordon, the electric guitarist Link Wray, the rhythm and blues singer Don Covay, and the folk singer Christine Lavin...
(1944–1996) - Trevor WatkisTrevor WatkisTrevor Watkis is a jazz pianist, composer and arranger, born in London, United Kingdom. He started playing the piano in his late teens with encouragement and the influence of his older brother vocalist . Trevor initially took up music playing the guitar prompted by his other guitar-playing brother...
Y
- Yosuke YamashitaYosuke YamashitaYōsuke Yamashita is an acclaimed jazz pianist, composer, essayist, and writer from Tokyo, Japan.He is praised by critics for his unique piano style...
(1942– ) - Alon YavnaiAlon YavnaiAlon Yavnai is an Israel-born jazz pianist.-Biography:Born in Israel, Yavnai began playing piano at the age of four. He has professionally accompanied singers since the age of thirteen. He graduated from the Thelma Yalin High School for Arts and subsequently the Givatayim Conservatory, both in...
(1969– ) - Andile YenanaAndile YenanaAndile Yenana is a South African pianist.Andile obtained a teaching diploma from the University of Fort Hare in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province before taking up music studies under Darius Brubeck at the University of Natal's School of Jazz and Popular Music...
(1968– ) - Yitzhak YedidYitzhak YedidYitzhak Yedid is an Israeli Australian composer of classical music and jazz pianist.-Biography:Yitzhak Yedid was born on September 29, 1971 in Jerusalem, Israel. His family immigrated from Syria. He studied at the Rubin Academy of Music and the New England Conservatory in Boston with Ran Blake...
(1971– )
Z
- Rachel ZRachel ZRachel Carmel Nicolazzo better known as Rachel Z, is a jazz pianist. She attended the Berklee College of Music Summer School and Manhattan School of Music pre-college, where she launched the quintet, Nardis, whilst studying with Joanne Brackeen and Richie Beirach in NYC. Later Rachel Z graduated...
(1972– ) - Aziza Mustafa ZadehAziza Mustafa ZadehAziza Mustafa Zadeh also known as The Princess of Jazz, or Die Prinzessin des Jazz or as Jazziza is an Azerbaijani singer, pianist and composer who plays a fusion of jazz and mugam with classical and Avant-garde influences...
(1969– ) - Marcelo ZarvosMarcelo ZarvosMarcelo Zarvos is a Brazilian pianist and composer. He began in classical music in his teens and studied at the Berklee College of Music. He is more known for jazz and had success with the album Dualism accompanied by saxophonist Peter Epstein...
- Josef Zawinul (1932–2007)
- Denny ZeitlinDenny ZeitlinDenny Zeitlin is an American jazz pianist and composer, and a clinical professor of psychiatry at University of California, San Francisco...
(1938– ) - Pablo ZieglerPablo ZieglerPablo Ziegler is an Argentine composer based in Buenos Aires and New York City. He is currently the leading exponent of nuevo tango, thanks to the skills and reputation he gathered while working extensively as Ástor Piazzolla's regular pianist from 1978 until the maestro's retirement for health...
(1944– ) - Bojan ZulfikarpašićBojan ZulfikarpašicBojan Zulfikarpašić was born February 2, 1968 in Belgrade) is a Serbian jazz pianist...
(1968– ) - Axel ZwingenbergerAxel ZwingenbergerAxel Zwingenberger is a blues and boogie-woogie pianist, and songwriter. He is considered one of the finest boogie-woogie music masters in the world.-Biography:...
(1955– )