jazz pianist
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 Musical ...
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 ...
born in
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.NPR.or Fabian Almazan Trio String Quartet Live at the Village Vanguard Retrieved November 2013.
Almazan is the founder and director of ''Biophilia Records'' and has held the piano chair in Jazz Trumpeter
Terence Blanchard
Terence Oliver Blanchard (born March 13, 1962) is an American jazz trumpeter and composer. He has also written two operas and more than 80 film and television scores. Blanchard has been nominated for two Academy Awards for Original Score for ''B ...
's band since 2007.JazzTimes.co Fabian Almazan Scores Big Retrieved November 2013.
Fabian Almazan began studying classical piano at an early age in his homeland,
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
,
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, his parents could not afford private piano lessons. Pianist Conchita Betancourt graciously taught Almazan free of charge for over three years, allowing him to audition for the
New World School of the Arts
The New World School of the Arts (NWSA) is a public magnet high school and college in Downtown Miami, Florida. Its dual-enrollment programs in the visual and performing arts are organized into four strands: visual arts, dance, theatre (comprising ...
in
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
,
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
where he studied from 1998 to 2002.Almazan, Fabia Official Site-Biography Retrieved November 2013.
In 2002, Almazan was selected for the piano chair in the National Grammy High School Jazz Combo. Almazan later went on to win the piano chair for the Brubeck Institute fellowship program based in northern
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
where he studied with
Mark Levine
Mark Andrew LeVine is an American historian, musician, writer, and professor. He is a professor of history at the University of California, Irvine.
Education
LeVine received his B.A. in comparative religion and biblical studies from Hunter ...
and performed with
Dave Brubeck
David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...
and
Christian McBride
Christian McBride (born May 31, 1972) is an American jazz bassist, composer and arranger. He has appeared on more than 400 recordings as a sideman, and is a nine-time Grammy Award winner.
McBride has performed and recorded with a number of jaz ...
. In 2003, Almazan moved to
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, where he studied with
Kenny Barron
Kenneth Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist and composer who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era.
Early life
...
at the
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory
A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...
. While pursuing his bachelor's degree, Almazan studied instrumentation and orchestration with Giampaolo Bracali. Under Bracali, Almazan composed pieces for orchestra and chamber ensembles. In 2009, Almazan received his master's degree from
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory
A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...
, as a recipient of the Michael W. Greene Scholarship, studying privately with Jason Moran. Almazan received the Cintas Foundation 2010/11 Brandon Fradd Award in
Music Composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called ...
. In 2011, Almazan was selected as one of six composers to participate in the
Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by actor Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and compo ...
Composers' Lab, where he studied with such acclaimed film composers as George S. Clinton, Peter Golub,
Harry Gregson-Williams
Harry Gregson-Williams (born 13 December 1961) is a British composer, conductor, orchestrator, and record producer. He has composed music for video games, television and films including the ''Metal Gear'' series, '' Spy Game'', '' Phone Booth' ...
Alan Silvestri
Alan Anthony Silvestri (born March 26, 1950) is an American composer, conductor, orchestrator and music producer of film scores. He has received two Grammy Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and two ...
, and
Christopher Young
Christopher Young (born April 28, 1958) is an American composer of Film score, film and television scores.
Many of his compositions are for horror and thriller films, including ''Hellraiser'', ''Species (film), Species'', ''Urban Legend (film) ...
.West, Michael J Fabian Almazan Scores Big JazzTimes.com, January 12, 2012.
Since 2007, Almazan has toured extensively with the
Terence Blanchard
Terence Oliver Blanchard (born March 13, 1962) is an American jazz trumpeter and composer. He has also written two operas and more than 80 film and television scores. Blanchard has been nominated for two Academy Awards for Original Score for ''B ...
Quintet, of which he is a current member. Almazan is said to be "one of the great young talents of his generation” by Blanchard. Almazan has also performed alongside esteemed artists such as Gretchen Parlato,
Paquito D'Rivera
Francisco de Jesús Rivera Figueras (born 4 June 1948), known as Paquito D'Rivera, is a Cuban-American alto saxophonist, clarinetist and composer. He was a member of the Cuban songo band Irakere and, since the 1980s, he has established him ...
,
Christian Scott Christian Scott may refer to:
* Christian Scott (baseball) (born 1999), American baseball player
* Christian Scott (musician)
Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah () (born March 31, 1983, formerly Christian Scott) is an American jazz trumpeter, multi-instr ...
,
Chris Dingman
Christopher Robert Dingman (born July 6, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League with the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Playing care ...
, David Sanchez,
Stefon Harris
Stefon DeLeon Harris (born March 23, 1973) is an American jazz vibraphonist.
Biography
A native of Albany, New York, Harris intended to work for the New York Philharmonic until he heard the music of Charlie Parker. During the 1990s he recorded ...
, Kendrick Scott, and Ambrose Akinmusire, among others.ArtistShar Featured Artists ArtistShare.com, Retrieved November 2013.
''Personalities'', Almazan's debut album as a leader, was released in October 2011 on Biophilia/ Palmetto Records, and featured Linda Oh, Henry Cole, Meg Okura, Megan Gould, Karen Waltuch, and Noah Hoffeld. Almazan "demonstrates intuitive control over Latin jazz repertoire and feeling"Jarenwattananon, Patric Fabian Almazan: Live at the Village Vanguard NPR.org, October 12, 2011. and his music is referred to as "intense and crystalline",Ratliff, Be NYTimes.com, January 8, 2012. "multifaceted and intriguing",Turner, Mark F Fabian Almazan: Personalities (2011) AllAboutJazz.com, September 29, 2011. and full of "unexpected twists".Barton, Chri LATimes.com, October 21, 2011.
Almazan's album, ''Rhizome'', released in the Spring of 2014, was the first project to be released on the joint label Blue Note/
ArtistShare
ArtistShare is the internet's first commercial crowdfunding website.Crowd-Funding 101: What Every Musician Needs for a Successful Campaign It also operates as a record label and business model for artists which enables them to fund their proje ...
.ArtistShar Rhizome Project Page ArtistShare.com, Referenced November 2013. Fabian Almazan to release "Rhizome" on Blue Note-ArtistShare BlueNote.com, October 22, 2013.
Discography
As leader
* ''Personalities'' (Biophilia, 2011)
* ''Rhizome'' with Rhizome (AriststShare, 2014)
* ''SWR New Jazz Meeting 2015'' (Jazzhaus, 2017)
* ''Alcanza'' (Biophilia, 2017)
* ''This Land Abounds with Life'' (Biophilia, 2019)
As sideman
With
Terence Blanchard
Terence Oliver Blanchard (born March 13, 1962) is an American jazz trumpeter and composer. He has also written two operas and more than 80 film and television scores. Blanchard has been nominated for two Academy Awards for Original Score for ''B ...
* ''
Choices
A choice is the range of different things from which a being can choose. The arrival at a choice may incorporate motivators and models.
Freedom of choice is generally cherished, whereas a severely limited or artificially restricted choice c ...
Magnetic
Magnetism is the class of physical attributes that occur through a magnetic field, which allows objects to attract or repel each other. Because both electric currents and magnetic moments of elementary particles give rise to a magnetic field, m ...
Live
Live may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film
* ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film
* ''Live'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film
*'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...
'' (Blue Note, 2018)
With others
*
Anthony Branker
Anthony Branker (born August 28, 1958) is an American musician and educator of Caribbean descent.
He was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey and raised in Piscataway, New Jersey, Piscataway and Plainfield, New Jersey. He attended public schools in ...
, ''Beauty Within'' (Origin, 2016)
* Oran Etkin, ''Timbalooloo: Wake Up Clarinet!'' (Timbalooloo, 2010)
* Maria Grand, ''Magdalena'' (Biophilia, 2018)
*
Mark Guiliana
Mark Guiliana (born September 2, 1980) is an American drummer, composer and leader of the band Beat Music. He has played with Avishai Cohen, Brad Mehldau, David Bowie, Meshell Ndegeocello, Gretchen Parlato, Jason Lindner, Lionel Loueke, Dhafe ...
, ''Jersey'' (Motema, 2017)
*
Melissa Aldana
Melissa Aldana (born 3 December 1988) is a Chilean tenor saxophone player, who performs both as a soloist and with her band Melissa Aldana & Crash Trio.
Life and career Early life and training
Aldana was born in Santiago, Chile. She began playi ...
, ''Echoes Of The Inner Prophet'' (Blue Note, 2024)
*
Jim Snidero
James J. Snidero (born May 29, 1958, in Redwood City, California, United States) is an American jazz saxophonist.
Performance career
Snidero grew up in the Washington, D.C., area (Camp Springs, MD), studying with Jim Murphy, Ron Diehl, Tim Eyerma ...
, ''Main Street'' (Savant, 2015)
* Linda May Han Oh, ''Initial Here'' (Greenleaf, 2012)
* Linda May Han Oh, ''Walk Against Wind'' (Biophilia, 2017)
* The Wee Trio, ''Wee + 3'' (Bionic, 2016)
Just Wright
''Just Wright'' is a 2010 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Sanaa Hamri, starring Queen Latifah and Common. The film tells the story of a physical therapist, Leslie Wright, who falls in love with a professional basketball player, ...
Black or White
"Black or White" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson, released by Epic Records on November 11, 1991, as the first single from Jackson's eighth studio album, '' Dangerous'' (1991). Jackson wrote, composed, and produced the track with rec ...
'' (musician: piano)
* 2015 ''
Chi-Raq
''Chi-Raq'' () is a 2015 American musical crime comedy drama film, directed and produced by Spike Lee and co-written by Lee and Kevin Willmott. Set in Chicago, the film focuses on the gang violence prevalent in neighborhoods on the city's sou ...
'' (musician: piano)
Actor
* 2010 ''
Just Wright
''Just Wright'' is a 2010 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Sanaa Hamri, starring Queen Latifah and Common. The film tells the story of a physical therapist, Leslie Wright, who falls in love with a professional basketball player, ...