"As a pianist, he possesses the improvisatory skills and powerful sense of swing one associates with world-class artists… Childs is an inventive composer and arranger whose effort in those areas consistently expand the dimensions of the jazz genre - and beyond."
-The Los Angeles Times
Jazz pianist/composer Billy Childs remains one of the most diversely prolific and acclaimed artists working in music today. This very special show features Childs, with bassist Jeff Denson and drummer Gerald Cleaver, presenting a mixture of his original compositions along with some selections by Bill Evans and other legendary jazz composers.
Band Members & Instrumentation
Billy Childs - piano
Jeff Denson - bass
Gerald Cleaver - drums
Artist Bios
Billy Childs’ canon of original compositions and arrangements has garnered him the 2013 Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship (2009), a composers award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2015), and two Chamber Music America grants: the Jazz New Works Grant (2006) and the Classical Commissioning Grant (2019). Childs has had sixteen Grammy nominations, and five Grammy awards, most recently for Best Jazz Instrumental Album ('Rebirth'). Previously he won for Best Arrangement, Instrumental & Vocal (featuring Renée Fleming and Yo-Yo Ma) in 2015 for ‘New York Tendaberry’, from his highly successful release 'Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro’. Other Grammy wins include Best Instrumental Composition for ‘The Path Among the Trees’ (2011) and ‘Into The Light’ (2005), from his much-heralded jazz/chamber releases, ‘Autumn: In Moving Pictures’ and ‘Lyric’. Downbeat magazine states, “...Childs’ jazz/chamber group has taken the jazz-meets classical format to a new summit.”
Born in Los Angeles in 1957, Childs was already proficient at the piano by age 6; he was accepted in USC’s Community School For The Performing Arts at age 16, studying music theory and piano with some of the world’s most renowned musical scholars. He graduated from USC in 1979 with a degree in composition. Among Childs’ early influences: Herbie Hancock, Keith Emerson, Chick Corea and others. He credits classical composers such as Paul Hindemith, Maurice Ravel, and Igor Stravinsky for also influencing his love of composition. Childs' performing career was also enriched with early-career apprenticeships with legendary jazz trombonist J.J. Johnson, and trumpet great Freddie Hubbard, in the late 1970s/early 1980s.
Childs released his first solo album, ‘Take For Example, This…’ in 1988, on Windham Hill Jazz Records. It was the first of four raved-about albums on the imprint, culminating with the acclaimed ‘Portrait Of A Player,’ in 1993. In 1995 Childs released ‘I’ve Known Rivers’ on Stretch/GRP Records. In 1996 he released ‘The Child Within’ on Shanachie Records. Songs from both recordings garnered his first Grammy nominations. Childs recorded two volumes of "jazz/chamber music" (an amalgam of jazz and classical music) titled 'Lyric, Vol. 1 (2006)' and 'Autumn: In Moving Pictures, Vol. 2 (2010)'. Both recordings have collectively been nominated for five Grammy awards, winning twice. Learn more by visiting billychilds.com
Jeff Denson has balanced a full career as both an acclaimed performing musician and a highly respected educator. Jeff has released 16 albums as a leader or co-leader and has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe with both his own groups, worked with some of jazz’s finest artists such as Brian Blade, Jane Ira Bloom, Dave Douglas, Charles McPherson, Cuong Vu, Joe Lovano, Ralph Alessi, Walter Smith III, Dayna Stephens, Vadim Neselovskyi, Florian Weber, Warren Wolf, Romain Pilon, Edward Simon, Dan Weiss, Paul Hanson among others, and had an ongoing relationship with the legendary Lee Konitz since 2007.
Denson has received rave reviews in such periodicals as the Washington Post, NY Times, SF Chronicle, and Downbeat Magazine. He has received such prizes as the German Cultural Award in 2006 and Downbeat Magazine Rising Star Critic's Poll awards for "Electric Bassist," "Male Vocalist" and "Double Bassist" the last four years in a row (2018-2021). Jeff won the Downbeat Rising Star Critic's Poll for Electric Bassist this year, 2021. Jeff also has the unique distinction of being the bassist of the Lee Konitz New Quartet for over twelve years and is currently the Dean of Instruction and Chair of the Bass Department of the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley, CA.
In his All Music bio of Gerald Cleaver, journalist Thom Jurek notes that “Gerald Cleaver is among the most agile and wide-ranging first-call musicians on the 21st century jazz scene.” Jurek goes on to cite year after year of Cleaver’s artistry on recordings and on tour, which witnessed his performing on a dozen or more recordings a year for more than a decade. Cleaver has worked with such jazz luminaries as Rodney Whitaker, Marcus Belgrave, Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Kenny Burrell, Frank Foster, Cecil Bridgewater, Eddie Harris, Diana Krall, Don Byron and Bill Frisell, among many others.
Cleaver now serves as Chair of the California Jazz Conservatory Drum Department in Berkeley, CA, as the first-ever recipient of the Jennifer A. Maxwell Distinguished Professorship Award.
JAMBAR Presents is a special series of select concerts, workshops and other events sponsored by JAMBAR whose purpose is to support music and active living.