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Grant Simpson

The dynamism and exhilaration that defines solo jazz piano began with the great stride piano masters of the 20s and 30s. These innovators, such as Thomas 'Fats' Waller, James P. Johnson and Willie "The Lion" Smith, pioneered a style and shaped an era that was, and continues to be, the most comprehensive and joyful jazz piano style in history . . . the style known as Stride Piano.

As a teenager, I heard a recording of "Fats" Waller and was immediately captivated and inspired. I enrolled in traditional music lessons and amidst a conventional study of the classics, began "picking out" sections of the Fats Waller and James P Johnson recordings by ear.

My initial excitement and enthusiasm for the stride style has flourished and grown more with every passing year.

During the past 25 years as a professional pianist, I have performed in hundreds venues throughout the world including Korea, throughout the Caribbean, United States and Canada, appearing as a featured artist at many concerts and festivals including The Vancouver Dixieland Festival, Hermann's Jazz Club, on the MS Oosterdam, Montreal's Queen Elizabeth Hotel and many more. I was a featured artist on CBC's famed Jazz Program "Hot Air" with my favorite musician "Alan Matheson". We hope to record a duo CD soon.

I perform as a soloist, in various duos and trios or in my traditional jazz band "New Orleans North" featuring: Amanda Leslie, Lloyd Arntzen, Alan Matheson, Craig Scott and Grant Simpson.

For more information on any of these groups, please look us up on the web.

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Album Review

Grant Simpson: Stride and True

Read "Stride and True" reviewed by Robert R. Calder


Grant Simpson hits the piano cleanly, and he sounds like he hits it hard. He mentions the “ever-present dry wit" of Dick Wellstood when introducing a performance of Wellstood's “Dollar Dance," whose composer called it “a distant relative" of Jelly Roll Morton's “Perfect Rag."

Though it's necessary to mention Wellstood's likely influence on Simpson's slowish tempo through much of the opener, James P. Johnson's “One Hour"--and Simpson's central commitment to Harlem stride piano--he emulates Morton by making a priority of ...

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