Primary Instrument: Piano
Christian Jacob began playing at the age of four and graduated with First Prize from the “Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique” in Paris. In 1983, he enrolled at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and later joined the faculty.
While attending Berklee “Downbeat Magazine” honored Christian as “Top Collegiate Jazz Soloist” and he won the 6th Annual Great American Jazz Piano Competition in Jacksonville, Florida.
Christian later toured with Maynard Ferguson, who produced Christian’s two Concord recordings: “Maynard Ferguson Presents Christian Jacob” and “Time Lines”.
Christian quickly began performing and recording with many of today’s jazz legends Flora Purim and Airto Moreira, Randy Brecker, Miroslav Vitous, Phil Woods, and Bill Holman to name just a few.
By the mid 1990’s Christian teamed up with vocalist Tierney Sutton, drummer Ray Brinker and bassist Trey Henry to record their first CD together, “Introducing Tierney Sutton”. The band became known for its sophisticated, refreshing arrangements, and the obvious musical joy they felt when playing together. They developed into a tightly knit group that recorded six critically acclaimed CDs for Telarc Jazz. “Unsung Heroes”, “Blue in Green”, “Something Cool”, “Dancing in the Dark”, “I’m With The Band” and “On the Other Side”. The later two were both nominated for a Grammy Award.
In the midst of his success with the Tierney Sutton Band, Christian released his third trio CD, this time on his own independent label WilderJazz. The 2004 release, “Styne & Mine”, is a tribute to the music of Jule Styne, and reached #3 in the jazz radio charts.
The success of “Styne & Mine” motivated Christian to record “Contradictions” in 2006. The CD pays homage and offers another look at the original compositions of renowned pianist Michel Petrucciani.
Due to the popularity of his recordings in Japan, (According to The Japan Times he is one of the best-selling foreign jazz pianists in Japan) Christian was invited to tour and record his first live recording there. The resulting CD “Live in Japan” was released in November 2008 on WilderJazz and reached number 14 on the National Jazz Charts.
At present Christian Jacob continues to divide his time between his two bands (The Tierney Sutton Band and The Christian Jacob Trio) and arranging and composing for various artists. He continues to grow and transform with each project always striving for something new.
Awards:
First Prize from the “Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique” in Paris“Downbeat Magazine” honored Christian as “Top Collegiate Jazz Soloist”
Winner of the 6th Annual Great American Jazz Piano Competition
“Descriptive words such as virtuoso and genius are not words I easily throw around. When I first heard Christian Jacob I knew he was something special... I believe that Christian Jacob is about to become a major force in jazz today!” -Maynard Ferguson
“A post-bop modernist touched by the souls of Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett… Pianist Christian Jacob is a wonderful player whose crystalline melodies and expansive harmonies mark him as someone to keep an ear on.” -Jazz Times
“A talented jazz piano newcomer, Christian Jacob shines and has the post-Bill Evans sound well in hand.”
Reviews
CHRISTIAN JACOB TRIO
Contradictions (WilderJazz)
I was a devoted fan of Michel Petrucciani, so it is surprising that it took Christian Jacob’s new album to reveal the permanence of Petrucciani’s work as a composer. Petrucciani recorded prolifically in his short life, in a variety of settings, and his own tunes always seemed like movements in the album-length suites he wove together from diverse found and invented materials. Christian Jacob is such a fluent, polished pianist—and his long- term working trio with bassist Trey Henry and drummer Ray Brinker is so tight—that he is able to reveal the luminous melodic essences inside Petrucciani’s complex irregular forms. Once you have heard Jacob’s elegantly detailed and finished renderings of Petrucciani lines like “Looking Up” and “Even Mice Dance” and “13th” and “Memories of Paris,” it becomes remarkable that these songs have remained largely unexplored by jazz players. Jacob presents them as such meticulous and complete designs, and such rich sources for improvisation, that he newly claims their place in jazz literature.
When Petrucciani died at 36 in 1999, the French critic Francis Marmande wrote, “If the death of a musicians touches us in a special way, it is because they take their secrets with them.” With Contradictions, Christian Jacob has performed the valuable service of revealing that Michel Petrucciani left some of his secrets behind.
-Thomas Conrad
The Christian Jacob Trio Live In Japan WilderJazz (CD-0801) 2008
The Christian Jacob Trio CONTRADICTIONS WilderJazz (CD-0601) 2006
The Tierney Sutton Band (Co-Leader) I'm With The Band Telarc (CD-83616) 2005
Tierney Sutton (Co-Leader) Dancing In the Dark Telarc (CD-83592) 2004
The Christian Jacob Trio Styne and Mine WilderJazz (CD-0401) 2004
Tierney Sutton (Co-Leader) Blue In Green Telarc (CD-83522) 2001
Christian Jacob/Fritz Renold The Six Cycles Anothen Records (CCD-991021-1) 1999
Christian Jacob Time Lines Concord Jazz (CCD-4801-2) 1999
Christian Jacob/Fritz Renold Jazz Meets Classical DRS (MH CD 106-2) 1999
Christian Jacob Maynard Ferguson Presents Concord Jazz(CCD-4744-2 1997
As A Side Musician
The Phil Norman Tentet Totally Live At Catalina Jazz Club Mama (MAA 1034) 2008
Wayne Bergeron Plays Well With Others Concord (CCD-30032-2) 2007
Carl Saunders Exploration: The Lost Bill Holman Charts MAMA (MAA 1032 2007
The Bill Holman Band Hommage JazzedMedia (JM1024) 2006
The Gary Urwin Jazz Orchestra Kindred Spirits Summit (DCD 448) 2006
The Bud Shank Big Band Taking The Long Way Home JazzedMedia (JM1015) 2006
Carl Saunders Can You Dig Being Dug independent (J-1005) 2005
Phil Woods Groovin' to Marty Paich JazzedMedia (JM1005) 2005
Terje Gewelt & Christian Jacob Hope Resonant (RM 16-2) 2005
Gene Burkert The Jazz Palette Sea Breeze (SBJ-3078) 2005
The Bill Holman Band Live JazzedMedia (JM1007) 2004
Andy Martin / Vic Lewis The Project Drewbone Music (AMM-401) 2004
Flora Purim Speak No Evil Narada Jazz 2003
The Gary Uewin Jazz Orchestra Living In The Moment Sea Breeze (SB-2123) 2003
Gary Meek Step 7 A-440 (4013) 2003
Terje Gewelt & Christian Jacob Interplay Resonant (RM 13-2) 2003
Carl Saunders Be Bop Big Band Sea Breeze Jazz (SB-2118) 2002
Terje Gewelt & Christian Jacob Duality Resonant (RM10-2) 2002
Alan Kaplan Lonely Town Rylan Records (RLN 1001) 2002
West Coast All-Stars With Love To Gerry Sea Breeze Jazz (SB-3051) 2001
Michie Sahara I Need A Dream Sea Breeze Jazz (SB-3050) 2001
Flora Purim Perpetual Emotion Narada Jazz (72438-50625-2-0) 2001
Tierney Sutton Unsung Heroes Telarc (CD-83477) 2000
Miki Coltrane I Think Of You Chartmaker Records(HFGL6189) 1998
Vic Lewis Presents West Coast All Stars Candid Prod. (CCD-79739) 1997
Tierney Sutton Introducing Tierney Sutton A-Records(AL-73111) 1997
Tom Garling Maynard Ferguson Presents Concord Jazz(CCD-4752-2) 1997
Fritz Renold StarLight Sony,Columbia(CK68978) 1997
Gene Burkert The System Prologue Entertainment (PSC10043) 1997
Vic Lewis Presents West Coast Jazz Candid Prod.(CCD-79711-2) 1995
Maynard Ferguson Live From London Avenue Jazz (R2-71631) 1994
Anita O'Day (w/The Jack Sheldon Orchestra) Rules Of The Road Pablo Records (PACD-2310-950-2) 1993
Fritz Renold Quartet Plus 2 Shanti & Sri EPM Records(152042) 1993
Christian Jacob/Fritz Renold Bostonian Friends EPM Records(151472) 1992
Christian Ledelezir (w/Dave Liebman) Exaton Exaton Records (EX-002) 1990
Fabio Morgera/George Garzone Take One Red Records 1988
Vaughn Hawthorne The Path Intouch Records 1988
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