Neal Kirkwood

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Neal Kirkwood (* around 1955 in San José ) is an American jazz musician ( piano , composition ).

Live and act

Neal Kirkwood earned a Masters Degree in Composition from Mannes College of Music , where he took lessons from the composer Charles Jones . At the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop he studied with Bob Brookmeyer and Manny Albam . He teaches at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania and the Third Street Music School in New York City.

As a pianist he worked with Pony Poindexter (with whom the first recordings were made in 1978) and since 1981 in New York City with Bobby Previte , Lindsey Horner and the drummer Mike Clark , also in the Manhattan New Music Project and as an accompanist for the vocalists Michel Hermon and Chris Connor , Abbey Lincoln and Bobby McFerrin . He also worked with the artist Art Spiegelman and in Philip Johnston's project Wordless! . He has composed for jazz and chamber ensembles of contemporary music as well as vocal, choral and orchestral works. Kirkwood also directed a big band , octet, quartet and trio. In the field of jazz, he was involved in 13 recording sessions between 1978 and 2003. He currently (2019) plays with Phillip Johnston & The Silent Six.

Kirkwood has also worked with numerous New York theater projects, including the music for Ralph Lee's productions for the Mettawee Theater , as well as music for Jim Neu, the Otrabanda Company , The Talking Band , Anne Bogart, Joseph Chaiken and Louise Smith . With a grant from the New York State Council for the Arts , he wrote The Future of Futurism , a five-act work for jazz orchestra. With the support of the New York State Music Fund he composed the song cycle Village Songs for children's choir and jazz ensemble; the lyrics were written with students in New York public schools. In 2013 he published Ruminations , based on lyrics by the Sufi mystic Rumi ; the piece was performed in the Smalls jazz club with a choir and jazz ensemble. In 2012 his work Five Choruses from Mexico City Blues (for 16-piece jazz choir and 17-piece big band) premiered at Kutztown University . He wrote The Mirrored Self and The Enchanted Realm for the Belgian ensemble Octurn .

Discographic notes

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Entry (Third Street Music School)
  2. ↑ a b Neal Kirkwood. Smalls, November 20, 2018, accessed November 20, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Tom Lord : The Jazz Discography (online, accessed November 19, 2018)
personal data
SURNAME Kirkwood, Neal
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz musician (piano) and composer
DATE OF BIRTH around 1955
PLACE OF BIRTH San Jose