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Jim Beard

Since moving to New York in 1985, Jim Beard has toured the world extensively with some of the greatest names in music including Steely Dan, Pat Metheny, John McLaughlin and Wayne Shorter. He has recorded with artists from an extremely wide range of musical styles. From Dizzy Gillespie to the Brecker Brothers. Dianne Reeves to Meshell Ndegeocello. Toninho Horta to Steve Vai.

Jim has over 100 published compositions featured on recordings by John McLaughlin, Michael Brecker and many others and in books such as The New Real Book. He has appeared with the Metropole Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and performed in major festivals such as JVC, Montreux, Live Under the Sky, North Sea, Montreal, and stages in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Blue Note (New York and Japan), CBGBs, Montmartre and many more. His writing has been used in television, movies and radio call signals and his piano playing can be heard in major Hollywood film scores.

He has produced dozens of recordings for artists such as Mike Stern, Bob Berg, Bill Evans, Eliane Elias and others. Jim has sat in the producer's chair for projects that have included Chick Corea, Al Jarreau, Medeski Martin and Wood, Bill Frisell, Marcus Miller, Richard Bona and Esperanza Spalding. His work can be heard on Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Blue Note, Verve, Columbia, NBC, ABC, and CBS/Sony. Jim has taught and continues to teach at renowned music institutions around the world such as the Mason Gross School of Arts, Berklee College of Music, Aaron Copland School of Music and the Sibelius Academy in Finland.

Jim has recorded six solo CDs; “Song of the Sun” in 1990 that featured Wayne Shorter and Michael Brecker, “Lost at the Carnival” (voted in top 10 new CDs by Jazziz Magazine critics) in 1995, “Truly” (voted in top 10 new CDs by Jazziz Magazine critics) in 1997, “Advocate” in 2000, "Revolutions" in 2008 (song Grammy nomination 2009) and "Show of Hands" in 2013..

Jim's music productions and compositions have been nominated for seven Grammy awards and Jim won a Grammy in 2007 as a featured performer on 'Some Skunk Funk' (Randy and Michael Brecker).


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Radio & Podcasts

Musical Tribute To Jim Beard Plus New Releases

Read "Musical Tribute To Jim Beard Plus New Releases" reviewed by Len Davis


A tribute to musician and producer Jim Beard, featuring his own work and also with Bob Berg and Oz Noy. New music from Lyle Workman and trumpet player John Fumo. From Brazil Joseph Olivera and from Canada Gustavo Carmo. Benjamin Croft with Frank Gambale and Argentinian band Streams. We get a little laid back with some cool stuff from David Garfield with his latest single and the band Tea featuring Neil Larsen.Playlist Jim Beard “Bakers Annex" from Song Of ...

26
Catching Up With

Steely Dan's Jon Herington and Jim Beard

Read "Steely Dan's Jon Herington and Jim Beard" reviewed by Mike Jacobs


In memory of Jim Beard, this article was first published at All About Jazz on July 6, 2017. While keyboardist / producer Jim Beard and guitarist Jon Herington are both solo recording artists with long and varied careers that straddle jazz, rock and beyond, they may be best known these days for being longtime members of Steely Dan's current touring band. They have also been close friends for nearly 40 years. They sat down for a conversation as ...

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Play This!

Jim Beard: Holodeck Waltz

Read "Jim Beard: Holodeck Waltz" reviewed by Mike Jacobs


Among stunning debut albums, Jim Beard's Song Of The Sun (CTI, 1991) is one that only seems to increase in luster over time. Listen to what is probably the album's centerpiece composition, “Holodeck Waltz" and it becomes clear how a relative newcomer like Beard could attract a veritable Who's Who of electric jazz to participate on his first record and quickly cement his place among them. ...

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Play This!

Jim Beard: Grace In The Bubble

Read "Jim Beard: Grace In The Bubble" reviewed by Mike Jacobs


Though he's a great enough musician to be exactly what many a recording or live situation calls for, “Grace In The Bubble" is emblematic of the mixture of technical proficiency, compositional acumen and playful quirk that Jim Beard invests into his solo outings. If Beard's idiosyncratic whimsy was perhaps tucked away a bit on his stunning solo debut Song Of The Sun (CTI, 1991), this track from his sophomore release, Lost At The Carnival (Lipstick, 1995), shows it off as ...

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Album Review

Jim Beard / Jon Herington: Chunks And Chairknobs

Read "Chunks And Chairknobs" reviewed by Mike Jacobs


The seeds for Chunks and Chairknobs were planted for guitarist Jon Herington and pianist Jim Beard a few years prior to its recording, while they were on a break from their touring duties with Steely Dan. The two took the opportunity to do something they had never done over the course of their 40 plus-year friendship—work up a duo set and mount a short tour together. The lion's share of those resulting arrangements— tackling a mix of Beard originals, Herington ...

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Live Review

Jim Beard And Jon Herington At The Kennett Flash

Read "Jim Beard And Jon Herington At The Kennett Flash" reviewed by Mike Jacobs


The Herington / Beard Duo The Kennett Flash Kennett Square, PA June 15, 2017 Nestled in the small town of Kennett Square Pennsylvania, the Kennett Flash is a bit of an anomaly these days-- and a welcome one at that. It's a small non-profit venue for the arts, able to hold no more than 100 people, set up with family-style table seating. With its intimacy and solid turnout this night, it also seemed an ideal ...

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Interview

Jim Beard: Serving The Music

Read "Jim Beard: Serving The Music" reviewed by George Colligan


[ Editor's Note: The following interview is reprinted from George Colligan's blog, Jazztruth ] Joe Zawinul said, “Jim Beard is my favorite keyboard player besides myself." I think that's a pretty high compliment, don't you? Jim Beard has been on the scene since the 1980s with a resume that reads like a sideman's dream: Wayne Shorter, Michael Brecker, John McLaughlin, Steely Dan, and a host of other upper echelon artists. Beard is a virtuoso pianist and composer, yet ...

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Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

A Rose In The Canyon

Val Gardena Music
2022

buy

Chunks And Chairknobs

Jazzline Records
2019

buy

Revolutions

Intuition
2008

buy

Truly...

Telarc
1997

buy

Lost At The Carnival

Lipstick Records
1995

buy

Blue in the 2nd Degree

From: A Rose In The Canyon
By Jim Beard

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