photo Anna Yatskevich
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“Manasia lives in a world where Bud Powell plays fuzzed-out wah-wah fusion, and I’d like to spend more time in that place.”
Pianist Jeremy Manasia has been a fixture on the New York City jazz scene for over 20 years, as an in-demand sideman, bandleader, composer, recording artist, and educator. His 7 records as a leader spotlight more than 40 compositions, and his bebop rooted, soulful, impressionistic sound on the piano. Jeremy has performed all over the world with many of the greatest living jazz musicians, including Gary Bartz, Al Foster, Jimmy Heath, Eddie Gomez, Louis Hayes, and has worked for Jimmy Cobb, Willie Jones III, Peter Bernstein, and has been with Javon Jackson's band for more than 10 years. He can be seen regularly in NYC venues: the Village Vanguard, Smalls, Mezzrow, Smoke, Dizzy’s and the Iridium. In addition to his 7 releases as a leader, he has appeared on more than 20 records as a sideman, most recently “Javon and Nikki Go To The Movies” - Javon Jackson, and “But Of Course” - Charles Ruggiero. He has been a finalist in the Thelonious Monk Competition, the Great American Jazz Piano Competition, and the American Pianists Association Jazz Piano Competition. Manasia had the honor of working with many master teachers, starting with his introduction to jazz from Justin DiCioccio, while a high school student at the LaGuardia HS for Music & Art and the Performing Arts; continuing with jazz piano studies at the Manhattan School of Music with Harold Danko and Garry Dial; and post graduate studies with Barry Harris, Harry Whitaker, Chris Anderson, Dutch legend Franz Elsan (at the Royal Conservatory of Den Haag), and piano guru Sophia Rosoff. As an educator, Jeremy has mentored several generations of jazz pianists; coupling a harmonic approach derived from Barry Harris and his studies abroad, and a philosophy inspired by a more than 20 year practice of zen buddhism, to help bring out a student’s uniquely individual voice. Manasia is on faculty at the Manhattan School of Music, a panelist for the National YoungArts Foundation, has won a Presidential Scholars Teachers Recognition award, numerous Downbeat Student Music awards and three Charles Mingus Competition awards for his teaching. |