I am a two-time Emmy Award-winning composer, producer, and Juno Award-winning jazz pianist and educator. As a composer, I specialize in writing, arranging, and producing memorable, custom-made music for t.v., film & other media. I consider myself an "artistic problem solver": I strive to get to the essential conceptual truth of what the client is looking for - and to express it in a creative and supportive way. [READ MORE] or [BIO]

solo piano in Taiwan (part 2 of 2)

March 24, 2005 / D.D. Jackson

Chipin and Kaiya really are at the forefront of Taiwanese jazz and jazz education currently, and during the course of my stay they told me of their plans to open a Taiwanese Jazz Institute during the summers, in conjunction with American Voices (a fascinating organization, founded by pianist/artistic director John Ferguson, which brings American jazz and other musics to the vast reaches of the world, with a particular focus on the former Soviet east bloc nations).
It’s always exciting to ponder the music that will result when one combines exposure to the vast jazz tradition with local cultural influences. Organizations like this Taiwanese Jazz Institute as well as American Voices are I’m sure helping to plant some very fascinating seeds that will no doubt bear fruit as the next great phase of jazz's evolution worldwide...