Bernard Melvin Senensky (born December 31, 1944) is a Canadian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

pianist, organist, and composer.

Life and career

Senensky was born in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, on December 31, 1944.Yanow, Scot
"Bernie Senensky"
AllMusic. Retrieved February 26, 2015. He received classical piano lessons from the age of nine and became interested in jazz around age 15.Hum, Peter (September 23, 2014
"The Bernie Senensky Interview"
Ottawa Citizen. He had one jazz teacher, and thereafter was self-taught. He moved permanently to Toronto in 1968. He played briefly with high-profile visiting musicians, including

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

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, and

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. Senensky played with Moe Koffman between 1980 and 2000, and they toured internationally for several years. Senensky has recorded several small group albums since 1975.Miller, Mar
"Senensky, Bernie (Bernard Melvyn)"
''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'' (2nd ed.). Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 22 May 2015. (Subscription required).

Playing style and influences

Senensky described himself as "essentially a

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early to mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo (usually exceeding 200 bpm), complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerou ...

player, and beyond. My heroes are anyone from

Bud Powell Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell (September 27, 1924 – July 31, 1966) was an American jazz pianist and composer. A pioneer in the development of bebop and its associated contributions to jazz theory,Grove Powell's application of complex phrasing to ...

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and

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of ...

". Senensky was influenced on organ by

Larry Goldings Lawrence Sam Goldings (born August 28, 1968) is an American jazz keyboardist and composer. His music has explored elements of funk, blues, and jazz fusion, fusion. Goldings has a comedic alter ego known as Hans Groiner. Life and career Golding ...

, Mike LeDonne, and Larry Young. ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'' states that "His playing is characterized by his obvious comfort in a wide range of styles, from swing to the assertive post-bop of his own groups."

Discography

An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.

As leader/co-leader

Main source:"Discography"
AllMusic. Retrieved February 16, 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Senensky, Bernie 1944 births Canadian jazz pianists Hard bop pianists Musicians from Toronto Musicians from Winnipeg Living people 21st-century Canadian pianists