Dan Tepfer (born 1982 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France) is a French-American

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 A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

. He is best known for his 2011 album ''Goldberg Variations/Variations'' and his 2019 multimedia project ''Natural Machines''.

Biography

Dan Tepfer grew up in Paris, France in a musical and scientific family. He received a bachelor's degree in

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline, James Keeler, said, astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the ...

from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

and a master's degree in jazz piano performance from the

New England Conservatory The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. The conservatory is located on Huntington Avenue along Avenue of the Arts (Boston), the Avenue of the Arts near Boston Symphony Ha ...

in Boston. He currently lives in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York, where he works as a pianist and composer. He tours around the world, with frequent appearances in Europe in particular. Since 2009, he has released a series of critically acclaimed recordings on

Sunnyside Records Sunnyside Records is an American jazz record company and label initially established by François Zalacain in 1982 to release an album by pianist Harold Danko. Albums by Kirk Lightsey and Lee Konitz soon followed, beginning a sequence of releases ...

and

Verve Records Verve Records is an active American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Ca ...

, working in trio, duo and solo formats. One of his most frequent musical collaborations are duos with saxaphonists, including the legendary

Lee Konitz Leon "Lee" Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist and composer. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's ass ...

, Grammy winner Miguel Zenon,

Ben Wendel Ben Wendel (born February 20, 1976) 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, ...

, and others. Tepfer's Natural Machines project, which combines video and audio technology with improvised piano playing, will debut at NY's

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

in 2025 with an update that allows him to “play” an entire orchestra in real time. He has become a fixture in the NY live Jazz scene, at Jazz clubs and house concerts.

Awards and honors

* 2006: First Prize and Audience Prize,

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annu ...

Bösendorfer Solo Piano Competition * 2007: Winner of American Piano Awards and Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz,

American Piano Awards American Piano Awards is a non-profit performing arts organization based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization's goal is to "discover, promote, and advance" the careers of young American pianists. The organization hosts a biennial competition ...

* 2011: CHOC '' Jazz Magazine'' (France) for "Goldberg Variations / Variations" * 2011 – 2013: Rising Star Pianist, ''

Down Beat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

'' * 2012 – 2013: Rising Star Pianist, ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' was an American print magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade ...

'' * 2014: Charles Ives Fellowship,

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, Music of the United States, music, and Visual art of the United States, art. Its fixed number ...

* 2016: MacDowell Fellowship,

MacDowell Colony MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire. The program was founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell. Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDo ...

* 2017: CHOC '' Jazz Magazine'' (France) for "Eleven Cages" * 2018: Fondation BNP-Paribas 3-year artistic development award

Discography

* 2005: ''Before the Storm'', with Richie Barshay and Jorge Roeder (DIZ) * 2007: ''Oxygen'', with Richie Barshay and Jorge Roeder (DIZ) * 2009: ''Twelve Free Improvisations in Twelve Keys'' (DIZ) * 2009: ''Duos with Lee'', duo with

( Sunnyside) * 2010: ''Five Pedals Deep'', with Thomas Morgan and

Ted Poor Ted may refer to: Names A shortened form of the following: * Edmund * Edward * Thaddeus * Theodore (given name) Art, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Ted, a character in the post-apocalyptic short story '' I Have No Mouth, ...

( Sunnyside) * 2011: ''Goldberg Variations/Variations'' ( Sunnyside) * 2013: ''Small Constructions'', with

( Sunnyside) * 2014: First Meeting: Live in London, Volume 1 with

, Michael Janisch & Jeff Williams (

Whirlwind A whirlwind is a phenomenon in which a vortex of wind (a vertically oriented rotating column of air) forms due to instabilities and turbulence created by heating and flow ( current) gradients. Whirlwinds can vary in size and last from a cou ...

) * 2017: ''Eleven Cages'', with Thomas Morgan and

Nate Wood Nate Wood (born October 3, 1979) is an American jazz multi-instrumentalist. He has performed with Wayne Krantz, Kneebody, Tigran Hamasyan, Louis Cole, The Calling, and Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders. Background Nate learned to p ...

( Sunnyside) * 2018: ''Decade'', duo with

(

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * '' The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee h ...

) * 2019: ''Natural Machines'', with real-time musical and visual algorithmic response ( Sunnyside) * 2023: ''Inventions / Reinventions'' ( StorySound Records) * 2023: ''Internal Melodies'', with Miguel Zenon With

Billy Hart Billy Hart (born November 29, 1940) is an American jazz drumming, jazz drummer and educator. He is known internationally for his work with Herbie Hancock's "Mwandishi" band in the early 1970s, as well as with Shirley Horn, Stan Getz, and Quest (b ...

* '' Sixty-Eight'' (

SteepleChase SteepleChase Records is a jazz record company and label based in Copenhagen, Denmark. SteepleChase was founded in 1972 by Nils Winther, who was a student at Copenhagen University at the time. He began recording concerts at Jazzhus Montmartre, ...

, 2011) Film Score * ''Movement+Location''

References

External links

Dan Tepfer Official Website

French documentary of Konitz and Tepfer European tour

NPR Tiny Desk Concert
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tepfer, Dan 1982 births Living people Musicians from Paris New England Conservatory alumni Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Sunnyside Records artists