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MUSIC - Chris Grasso - Jazz Pianist and bandleader

ABOUT CHRIS -  VIDEOS

Chris is a Washington, D.C.-based jazz pianist who specializes in working with vocalists. He is the Music Director for Sharon Clark, one of DC's most in-demand jazz vocalists. They can be seen and heard performing regularly at Mandarin Oriental, Washington D.C., and have appeared together on many stages, from the National Mall, as part of the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival, to the Cape May Jazz Festival. Chris has performed with Denise Thimes, Matt Wilson, Avery Sharpe and Albert Rivera, closing the show after Dave Brubeck’s performance at the 2010 Litchfield Jazz Festival. He has performed live on WPFW, Washington, D.C.'s jazz station, with jazz greats Keter Betts and Buck Hill. He has appeared with the Ken Peplowski/Chuck Redd Quartet, and with New Orleans' historic jazz family, the Jordans. Chris has made multiple appearances at what was formerly the the East Coast Jazz Festival, and continues the tradition through what is now the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival. He has performed at a number of closed historical venues like the One Step Down and the Smithsonian Jazz Cafe in DC. He continues to perform at major venues in the Washington, D.C. area, including Blues Alley, Twins Jazz, Bohemian Caverns, the Kennedy Center, and the Music Center at Strathmore. Chris serves as Music Director for Mandarin Oriental, Washington D.C., and performs regularly with a number of local vocalists such as Sharon Clark, Lena Seikaly, Kristine Key, Sara Jones and others.

MAJF Chris Grasso, Lena Seikaly and Dick Smith

ABOUT CHRIS

Chris Grasso is a Washington, D.C.-based jazz pianist who specializes in working with vocalists. He is the Music Director for Sharón Clark, one of DC's most in-demand jazz vocalists. They can be seen and heard performing regularly at Mandarin Oriental, Washington D.C., and have appeared together on many stages, from the National Mall, as part of the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival, to the Cape May Jazz Festival.

Chris has performed with Denise Thimes, Matt Wilson, Avery Sharpe and Albert Rivera, closing the show after Dave Brubeck’s performance at the 2010 Litchfield Jazz Festival. He has performed live on WPFW, Washington, D.C.'s jazz station, with jazz greats Keter Betts and Buck Hill. He has appeared with the Ken Peplowski/Chuck Redd Quartet, and with New Orleans' historic jazz family, the Jordans.

Chris has made multiple appearances at what was formerly the the East Coast Jazz Festival, and continues the tradition through what is now the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival. He has performed at a number of closed historical venues like the One Step Down and the Smithsonian Jazz Cafe in DC. He continues to perform at major venues in the Washington, D.C. area, including Blues Alley, Twins Jazz, Bohemian Caverns, the Kennedy Center, and the Music Center at Strathmore. Chris serves as Music Director for Mandarin Oriental, Washington D.C., and performs regularly with a number of local vocalists such as Sharón Clark, Lena Seikaly, Kristine Key, Sara Jones and others.

"Chris studied classical piano at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he earned a Bachelor of Musical Arts degree and won the university's concerto competition. He also placed third in the National Chopin Competition and has appeared as a concerto soloist with the University of Michigan Philharmonic and the Syracuse Symphony. After college, he took an eight-year break from music, working as a journalist, earning a law degree from the University of California-Berkeley and practicing law in Washington D.C. - (Quoted portions extracted from Chris bio on his website)

VIDEOS:

Like a Hurricane (Neil Young) -- Chris Grasso, Zack Pride, Dave McDonald
A House Is Not A Home -- Danielle Wertz (Danielle Wertz, vocals - Chris Grasso, piano - Zack Pride, bass - Billy Williams, drums )
Yesterdays -- Tommy Cecil Trio - Tommy Cecil, bass; Marshall Keys, sax; Chris Grasso, piano;