Chris
Donnelly
Juno nominated pianist Chris Donnelly is one of the most
captivating and versatile artists on the international music
scene. Growing up in Toronto, Chris was trained simultaneously
as a classical pianist and a jazz pianist. His repertoire
thus, is an eclectic mix of jazz, classical, ragtime, stride,
gospel, and music from other genre-bending composers like
Egberto Gismonti from Brazil and Nikolai Kapustin from Russia.
Chris’s latest project is called Music That Shaped
America. Armed with a piano and his personable stage presence,
Chris begins with the ragtime music of Scott Jopin, and
takes listeners on a journey through the music and melodies
that have been shaping the hearts and minds of North Americans
over the last hundred years.
Performances include classics from The Great American Songbook
and the Disney Songbook such as Hoagy Carmichael’s
Georgia, Erroll Garner’s Misty, Victor Young’s
My Foolish Heart, Someday my Prince Will Come from Disney’s
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and So This is Love from
Cinderella.
In addition, special homage is paid to one of America’s
most recognizable composers, George Gershwin. Chris performs
Gershwin’s piano arrangements of his popular tunes
such as S’Wonderful, Lady Be Good and I’ve Got
Rhythm and pairs them with his own personal, contemporary
renditions. Lastly, Chris performs one of Gershwin’s
most famous, identifiable pieces, Rhapsody in Blue.
Chris is also an accomplished composer and improviser. In
September 2008, Chris released his Juno-nominated, debut
album with Alma Records called ‘Solo,’ featuring
a blend of original material and arrangements of jazz standards.
This also earned him nominations for ‘Best Recording
of the Year’ and ‘Best Keyboardist of the Year’
from the 2009 National Jazz Awards.
In March 2011, Chris released an album of original music
inspired by the works of graphic artist M.C. Escher. Entitled
‘Metamorphosis,” the 50-minute composition starts
with a single theme; each movement draws inspiration from
the previous one, changing subtly and seamlessly, until
the music arrives at the initial theme again. The album
also features a reproduction of Escher’s work and
an original poem by Toronto’s Poet Laureate, Giorgio
Di Cicco.
Check out www.chrisdonnellymusic.com
Video Links:
Chris
Donnelly talks about Chris Donnelly
Victor
Young - My Foolish Heart
Nicolai
Kapustin - Intermezzo
Chris
Donnelly with Kornel Wolak on clarinet
<<BACK
