Home » Jazz Musicians » Vana Gierig

Vana Gierig

" ‘Making Memories’ is about the importance of creating good memories in life. They don't just happen, but we have to actively do something to ‘make’ them, since they will stay with us for the rest of our lives, continuing to shape, change, and enrich us,” says Vana about his new CD release ‘Making Memories’ on Enja Records.

German-born, Boston-schooled, New York-based pianist Vana Gierig uses his music as a language – one of eight languages he masters - to communicate these kind of messages. Called a “piano phenom” by Keyboard Magazine, Vana creates his unique sound as much thru his writing, as thru his style of playing and improvisation. At the core of his projects is always his piano trio, originating from one of those early ‘memories’ he ‘made’ when, at age 12, his parents took him to hear the Oscar Peterson Trio, which started a recurring childhood dream in which he himself was the one playing the piano on that stage.

Expanding from that core, his trio has often grown to include a variety of instrument combinations, such as Brazilian percussion, violin, cello, saxophone, and, as of late, the clarinet of Grammy Award winner Paquito D'Rivera, who is picky about the projects he chooses. “Vana and I have played together in the most diverse places all over the world, and his music always offers something unexpected and truly beautiful. That's why I am here,” says Paquito at the recording studio, as Vana and his group are documenting some of that collaboration on “Making Memories”, his 4th CD as a leader, and his debut on Enja.

Vana Gierig, known to most simply as Vana, got his early music education in Germany. As a teenager he arrived in the United States, and went to Boston to focus on his jazz performance and composition studies. After Quincy Jones handed Vana his Magna Cum Laude Bachelor’s Degree from Berklee College of Music, the New England Conservatory awarded him a scholarship to pursue a Masters Degree in Jazz Composition. Soon after that he moved to New York honing his craft as sideman and/or musical director to various, musically very diverse national artists, such as Rachelle Ferrell, Najee, Lena Horne, Special EFX, Regina Carter, and many others.

In 1998, Marcus Miller called Vana for a tour at the same time as Regina Carter was asking him to stay on as her pianist to start a new project on Verve/Universal. Vana chose Carter’s project, as it was offering exactly the kind of acoustic project, Vana had been looking for at the time. It was at that time that Vana started making a mark for himself, focusing his sound as a composer and performer. In 1999, he released his first CD entitled “Small Regrets” (Avenue C Records), of which 4 songs ended up in the independent film “Sins of Fate”, and one on the Emmy Award winning PBS show “City Arts.”

Read more

Tags

1
Album Review

Vana Gierig: Making Memories

Read "Making Memories" reviewed by Neri Pollastri


Quarto CD da leader ed esordio con la Enja per il pianista tedesco Vana Gierig, studi bostoniani e illustri collaborazioni con Eddie Gomez e Wynton Marsalis, oltre che con Paquito D'Rivera, ospite anche in questo Making Memories. Il lavoro ruota attorno al trio di Gierig, che lo vede accanto al batterista Marcello Pellitteri (sostituito da Gene Jackson in “Morning Cadence") e, a turno, ai contrabbassisti Sean Conly e Matthew Parrish. Il trio rimane però da solo in ...

4
Album Review

Vana Gierig: Making Memories

Read "Making Memories" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


German-born, New York-based pianist Vana Gierig was making memorable music long before Making Memories came into existence. This Berklee and New England Conservatory-trained ivory tickler has been turning heads with his own work, and through sideman stints with everybody from über-hip cabaret singer Ute Lemper to violinist Regina Carter, for quite some time, but no single project has been able to properly display the true depth and breadth of his artistry; that is, no single project until this one.

Read more articles
288

Performance / Tour

Vana Gierig's group joined by Paquito D'Rivera - summer festival dates

Vana Gierig's group joined by Paquito D'Rivera - summer festival dates

Source: Vana Gierig

Vana is taking his group and Paquito D'Rivera to Brazil and Italy: July 20th '10: Vana's group joined by 9-time Grammy Award winner Paquito d'Rivera for a concert at the Amazonas Jazz Festival, at the historic Opera House in Manaus, Brazil. Also featuring Marcello Pellitteri (drums), Sean Conly (bass), Vinicius Barros (perc). July 21st '10: Vana Trio plus Brazilian Percussion concert at the Amazonas Jazz Festival, at the famed Opera House (Fitzcarraldo) in Manaus, Brazil. Featuring Marcello Pellitteri (drums), Sean ...

108

Performance / Tour

Vana Gierig Opening Night Concert A Piano-Plus Jazz Series Monday, October 10th 8PM at A.C. Pianocraft

Vana Gierig Opening Night Concert A Piano-Plus Jazz Series Monday, October 10th 8PM at A.C. Pianocraft

Source: All About Jazz

October 4, 2005 To: Listings/Critics/Features From: JAZZ PROMO SERVICES Press Contact: JIM EIGO, [email protected] RobertaOnTheArts.com and A.C. Pianocraft, Inc. Are Pleased to Announce A Piano-Plus Jazz Series In an Intimate, New, Midtown Jazz Space Performed on Elegantly Restored Steinways and Rare, Antique Pianos Nine Concerts, Once/Month October, 2005 through June, 2006 Monday Evenings 8:00 - 10:00 PM Complimentary Wine and Hors d'Oeuvres Flowers by Matles Florist ([email protected]) Raffles!! AC Pianocraft Workshop and Showroom/Concert Space 333 West 52nd Street (Btw. 8th ...

“Vana and I have played together in the most diverse places all over the world, and his music always offers something unexpected and truly beautiful. That’s why I am here” Paquito D’Rivera recording for Vana's Making Memories CD (ENJA Records).

"This is an album of great beauty and elegance.” London Jazz Review (of Vana’s new CD Making Memories)

"Imagine recombining the musical DNA of Herbie, Keith, and Chick with a samba band and you’ve got a notion of what piano phenom Werner “Vana” Gierig’s latest CD is like. What makes the CD (A New Day) a multi-play for me is an abundance of fresh compositional brainstorms for revitalizing the piano trio. No moment is rote; and even the brash experiments are elegant. I’d steal all his good ideas if I had virtuosic technique." Keyboard Magazine

Read more

Primary Instrument

Piano

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Credentials/Background

taught privately for many years piano, harmony, improvisation re-harmonization techniques in improvisation $75/hour

Clinic/Workshop Information

different formats depending on circumstances (age group of kids or students, type of school or college, etc.)

Photos

Concerts

Music

Videos

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.