Primary Instrument: Piano
Sharp Radway is a pianist/composer/arranger/author who is a native of Hartford, Connecticut and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. He is a self-taught pianist whose roots can be found in the church. As a jazz pianist he has played throughout the country and abroad.
Among the recording artists whom he has worked and/or recorded with are Michael Carvin, Yusef Lateef, Bob Cunningham, Benny Powell, Bucky Pizzarelli, James Spalding, Benny Golson, Paul West, Rene McLean, Curtis Fuller, Red Holloway, Dick Griffin, Nicolas Payton, Diane Schuur, Carla Cook, Kevin Mahogany, Candido, Bill Saxton, Mickey Bass, Wycliffe Gordon, Russell Gunn, Vincent Herring, Fred Wesley, Andy McLoud, Ben Dixon, Ted Curson, Duane Eubanks, Joe Lee Wilson, Javon Jackson, Calvin Hill, Slide Hampton, Steve Turre, Frank Lacy, Jesse Davis, Hakiim Jami, Kiane Zawadi, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Fred Wesley, Greg Bandy, Greg Tardy, and Winard Harper to name a few.
He also works with The Spirit of Life Ensemble and The New York Metropolitan Big Band. Some of his main influences as a pianist are Bud Powell, Red Garland, Thelonious Monk, McCoy Tyner, Ahmad Jamal, and Herbie Hancock. Styles of music that have influenced his playing are Jazz, Reggae, Gospel, R&B, Hip-Hop, and Latin forms of music.
In addition to playing the piano he is also a prolific composer and arranger who has composed and arranged for renowned recording artists such as Greg Tardy, The Celebration of Lionel Hampton Big Band (of which he is also currently music director and pianist), and Greg Bandy. Staying true to his roots, he also continues to play in church regularly, serving as Minister of Music for a local church in Jersey City, New Jersey. Sharp has also appeared in film with Mos Def, Beyonce Knowles, Cedric the Entertainer, Jeffery Wright, and several others in the major motion picture “Cadillac Records” (2008). He acted and performed in the historic Off-Broadway play “The Connection” under the direction of Judith Malina. He is author of the book “Musicianship 101 (What They Don’t Tell You In School)”, published by Outskirts Press. He has also been retained as teaching faculty at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, Brooklyn, New York.
