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| Joan Stiles Sextet at Sweet Rhythm/NYC Pianist, composer, & bandleader Joan Stiles will be performing with her Sextet (Joan Stiles, piano; Mike Rodriguez, trumpet; Steve Wilson, alto sax; Joel Frahm, tenor sax; David Wong, bass; Matt Wilson, drums) at Sweet Rhythm in NYC Monday, January 7th, 2008 in celebration of her new release Hurly-Burly. Joan Stiles has led a very eclectic musical life. As a teenager, although her two favorite records were by Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans, she sang and played in pop music groups and in college, seriously studied classical piano. While still in graduate school, she taught in the Classical Theory Department of Brooklyn College, worked as an accompanist on harpsichord and piano, and wrote instructional articles for music magazines. But Jazz was never far from her heart and she pursued her interest in the music while at the same time earning two masters degrees, completing her coursework toward her doctorate--and raising two children. One rainy evening en route to a concert of Duke Ellington's Black, Brown and Beige, she slipped on a cellar door and suffered multiple fractures of her left wrist. Following surgery and a long recuperative process, her commitment to Jazz was strengthened and she began to work regularly in NY area clubs. For her 2004 debut recording, Love Call (Zoho) Joan Stiles wrote arrangements for an all- star octet with special guests, Frank Wess and Clark Terry. Love Call was on many Top Ten lists for 2004--Cadence Magazine Editor's Choice, JazzWeek Radio #9 and was cited by Frequency Media as “one of the best new and emerging artist releases” on their Artist Breakthrough Chart. Joan Stiles is also an active Jazz educator--a full-time faculty member of Manhattan School of Music and instructor of theory and piano at the New School University Jazz Program. write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Jazz News :: home page |