Christian 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 leader. This work is copyrighted. ...

Early Years

Jacob was born in Lorraine, France on May 8th, 1958. A pianist by age 4, he was immersed in study of the French classics. Something of a prodigy, Christian had perfect pitch and natural talent. He did not discover jazz until age 10, but when he did, its improvised nature appealed to him immediately. Early influences were Dave Brubeck and Oscar Peterson. As a teen, Jacob studied under Maestro Pierre Sancan at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique in Paris. Later, he would teach piano at the Conservatoire National de Region in Metz. Absolute pitch, widely referred to as perfect pitch, can refer the ability to identify a note by name without the benefit of a reference note. ... Dave Brubeck in 1954 Dave Brubeck (born December 6, 1920 in Concord, California) is an American jazz pianist who wrote a number of jazz standards, including In Your Own Sweet Way and The Duke. ... Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson is a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. ...

In the early 80s, Jacob entered Berklee College of Music in Boston, and won many awards as a student, including the Joe Zawinul Jazz Masters Award, Oscar Peterson Jazz Masters Award, and Downbeat Magazine "Top Collegiate Jazz Soloist" before graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1985. Jacob then took a teaching position at Berklee. Berklee College of Music, founded in 1945, is an independent music college in Boston, Massachusetts with many prominent faculty, staff, alumni, and visiting artists. ...

During his years in Boston, he formed "Bostonian Friends," an important musical partnership with Swiss saxophonist Fritz Renold, which produced jazz recordings ("Starlight" 1996) and classical commissions ("The 6 Cycles" with the Thai Symphony Orchestra 1999, and "Helvetic Suite" 1998). Although having renounced the classical performing circuit for jazz, Jacob has however maintained ties with the classical world through projects such as these commissioned works. Renold introduced Jacob to the Swiss Youth Jazz Orchestra, for which he was an arranger and educator throughout the 90s. From 1992-1994 Jacob also served as Director in Residence of the "Orchestre Regional Jazz de Lorraine" in Nancy, France, and composed their inaugural commission.

Professional Years

Jacob left Boston to tour with vibist Gary Burton in the late 80s and then with Maynard Ferguson through 1992. Christian served as performer, writer, and arranger with Ferguson's band. This led to Ferguson producing Jacob's first piano trio record, a powerful debut featuring John Patitucci and Peter Erskine. Sidemen for his follow-up trio project "Time Lines" were Steve Swallow and Adam Nussbaum. Jacob developed material with a third trio featuring Miroslav Vitous and Bill Stewart. Gary Burton (born on 23 January 1943 in Anderson, Indiana) is a jazz vibraphone player, known for developing the then-innovative technique of playing the instrument with four mallets, rather than the usual two. ... Maynard Ferguson (born May 4, 1928 in Montreal, Quebec) is a jazz trumpet player. ... John Patitucci is an American jazz bass guitarist. ... Peter Erskine (born June 5, 1954) is a jazz drummer. ... Steve Swallow (b. ... Miroslav Vitous (born 6 December 1947) is a Czech jazz bassist. ... Bill Stewart (October 18, 1966-Present) is an American jazz drummer whose success in maintaining a singular drumming style has been paralleled by few in the last two decades. ...

Jacob has extensive credits as a sideman, including Flora Purim, Terje Gewalt, Carl Saunders, Tom Garling, and others, but his most visible association has been as music director and pianist for Telarc recording artist Tierney Sutton. With bassist Trey Henry and Ray Brinker, Christian Jacob has helped the precision-pitched chanteuse claim well-deserved popularity.

Style

Christian Jacob's extensive classical training and his passion for French masters such as Debussy and Ravel are evident in his jazz work. His solos are marked above all by lyricism and conciseness, a certain economy of statement, and sensible restraint. Jacob will favor brevity, clarity and simplicity over pyrotechnic blather every time, an aesthetic which has bolstered his career as vocal accompanist. Critics seeking Keith Jarrett's untamed frontiers may despair at this modesty--yet packaging an effective solo in 32 bars (or within the additional choruses that Sutton generously offers the soloist) requires a special talent. Listeners left wanting lengthier statements need only seek the trio records.

Jacob is one of the few jazz pianists working today (along with Kenny Werner, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, or Jon Weber for example) whose every (and any) striking of the key is a supple gem of tone. Notes ring with clarity; the piano keys are not "pressed" but rather "struck" with a dead force technique that Werner calls "effortless." This attention to tone is relatively rare among jazz pianists and is usually only present in pianists with formidable classical training. Gonzalo Rubalcaba (born May 27, 1963 in Havana, Cuba) is one of the most important pianists in jazz today. ...

External Links

Official website