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MUSIC - Chris Grasso - Jazz Pianist and bandleader

ABOUT CHRIS -  REVIEWS -  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)

REVIEWS:

Jazz Chill: Many Rivers

Lauren Scales, Mike Flanagan, Chris Grasso - Many Rivers (2025) "Many Rivers is the genre-blending, heart-forward trio debut from vocalist Lauren Scales, saxophonist Mike Flanagan, and pianist Chris Grasso -- a dynamic meeting of artistic voices whose combined experience spans jazz tradition, queer creative spaces, and fearless personal storytelling. . . . Whether honoring the Great American Songbook, experimenting with neo-soul, or writing modern standards of her own, Lauren Scales proves herself a vocal force. Paired with Flanagan’s tuneful warmth and Grasso’s impeccable pianism, Many Rivers is a testament to collaboration, community, and the open-hearted possibilities of jazz today." ~ jazzchill.blogspot.com

Downbeat: Many Rivers

Lauren Scales, Mike Flanagan, Chris Grasso - Many Rivers (2025) "Many What singer Lauren Scales does with pianist Chris Grasso’s arrangement [of Neil Diamond's "Play Me"] is the kind of transcendence that mere craftsmanship can’t convey. Vulnerability and undiluted expression mix with rhythmic nuance and attention to detail (with exquisite tenor sax fills by Mike Flanagan, the album’s third co-leader) in a moment of jazz singing as high art. ...

But this isn’t simply a vocalist’s album, and the instrumentalists get their own space for zesty workouts. The big one is “Star Eyes,” Flanagan combining both of Charlie Parker’s arrangements against a deliriously, almost grimly percussive rhythm section and driving solos by Grasso and Curtis. Jimmy Cliff’s “Many Rivers To Cross” also gets solo juice (though Scales sings the final chorus) in a soulful rendition mindful of David “Fathead” Newman’s “Hard Times.” There’s something here for everybody." ~ downbeat.com

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;