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Steve Elmer

COMPOSER/PIANIST STEVE ELMER is an expressive and creative musician of growing acclaim. He describes his musical approach as “Classic Jazz: Play the melody, improvise, tell a story, and make it swing.” Once called “the most anonymous piano player in New York” by a respected jazz pianist impressed by Elmer’s playing, he is now the recipient of praise from jazz publications and musicians throughout the nation. Jazz Times says “He plays with the ferocity of a man with no more time to waste.” BlogCritics.org says “The music is gorgeous. Each song is treated like the only song and you get wrapped up in each one like it's a novel you don't want to put down. Even without lyrics you can feel the story behind the music. “ All About Jazz-Los Angles says “Pianist Elmer has imbibed from Bud Powell’s well, and has come up with a bucket overflowing with some hard hitting and vibrant bop. Elmer’s touch is sharp and assertive, confident and clean. “ Steve began his musical training as a drummer in a Brooklyn junior high school when he was thirteen years old. He briefly attended Manhattan School of Music before he became the “featured jazz drummer” with the All American Big Brass Band’s 16-counrty three-month tour of Africa. On his return, he spent the next two years playing drums with the Pepe Morreale Trio and the great lyrical cornetist Bobby Hackett. Elmer then earned a B.S in Music Education from Hofstra University and took a job teaching music in a Passaic, New Jersey elementary school followed by a year-and-a-half at Manhattan Vocational- Technical High School. In 1969 he attended Queens College where he received a Master’s degree in Music Composition, was invited to become an assistant professor, and developed a BA in Jazz Studies program where he and Count Basie alumnus Frank Foster served as the faculty. At age 25, Steve took the first of many formal piano lessons with the brilliant jazz pianist and teacher Lennie Tristano. After six years of intense training, Elmer decided to move away from the Tristano influence and follow his own musical instincts. At age 40 he took his first classical piano lessons with Arminda Canteros and Jon Verbalis and began to fill many of the gaps in his formal musical training and redefining his love of music. Elmer stopped playing professionally from 1976-1991 until he met a young drummer named Myles Weinstein and discovered they were both on the same musical wavelength.

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299
Album Review

The Steve Elmer Trio: Fire Down Below

Read "Fire Down Below" reviewed by Michael P. Gladstone


Fire Down Below, from The Steve Elmer Trio, evokes personal memories of being an undergraduate in the early 1960s at Hofstra College on Long Island, N.Y. (soon to be Hofstra University). Pianist Elmer was one of the “jazz guys on campus," entertaining the student body while working towards his B.S.Iit is quite evident that Elmer has stayed true to his muse, producing a fine example of piano trio jazz that is an exuberant and facile demonstration of his ...

272
Album Review

The Steve Elmer Trio: Fire Down Below

Read "Fire Down Below" reviewed by Woodrow Wilkins


From banging on desktops to banging the keys, Steve Elmer has come a long way. Once rejected as a drummer for a school jazz band, he kept at it, honing his craft through formal education and ultimately turning to the piano. Elmer and sidemen Shingo Okudaira and Hide Tanaka, began playing together just three years ago. However, after the popularity of I Used to Be Anonymous (self-produced, 2006), the trio was invited for a three-week, 2,500-mile tour of ...

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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Elmer

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Elmer

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Steve Elmer's birthday today! COMPOSER/PIANIST STEVE ELMER is an expressive and creative musician of growing acclaim. He describes his musical approach as “Classic Jazz: Play the melody, improvise, tell a story, and make it swing.” Once called “the most anonymous pianist in New York” by a respected jazz pianist impressed by Elmer’s playing, he is now the recipient of praise from jazz publications and musicians throughout the nation... Read more. Place our Musician of the ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Elmer

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Elmer

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Steve Elmer's birthday today!

COMPOSER/PIANIST STEVE ELMER is an expressive and creative musician of growing acclaim. He describes his musical approach as “Classic Jazz: Play the melody, improvise, tell a story, and make it swing.” Once called “the most anonymous piano player in New York” by a respected jazz pianist impressed by Elmer’s playing, he is now the recipient of praise from jazz publications and musicians throughout the nation... Read more.

Place our Musician of ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Elmer

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Elmer

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Steve Elmer's birthday today!

COMPOSER/PIANIST STEVE ELMER is an expressive and creative musician of growing acclaim. He describes his musical approach as “Classic Jazz: Play the melody, improvise, tell a story, and make it swing.” Once called “the most anonymous piano player in New York” by a respected jazz pianist impressed by Elmer’s playing, he is now the recipient of praise from jazz publications and musicians throughout the nation... Read more.

Place our Musician of ...

50

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Elmer

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Elmer

Source:

All About Jazz is celebrating Steve Elmer's birthday today!

COMPOSER/PIANIST STEVE ELMER is an expressive and creative musician of growing acclaim. He describes his musical approach as “Classic Jazz: Play the melody, improvise, tell a story, and make it swing.” Once called “the most anonymous piano player in New York” by a respected jazz pianist impressed by Elmer’s playing, he is now the recipient of praise from jazz publications and musicians throughout the nation...COMPOSER/PIANIST STEVE ELMER is an expressive and ...

80

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Elmer

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Elmer

Source:


118

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Elmer

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Elmer

Source: Michael Ricci


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Recording

Download Two Free MP3's from the Steve Elmer's "Fire Down Below" and "From I Used to be Anonymous"

Download Two Free MP3's from the Steve Elmer's "Fire Down Below" and "From I Used to be Anonymous"

Source: All About Jazz

Download two free MP3s from Steve Elmer's Fire Down Below and From I Used To Be Anonymous. Aaronology Steve Elmer From Fire Down Below 05:55 Keep Your Eye On The Ball Steve Elmer From I Used To Be Anonymous 04:52 Steve Elmer: In His Words I started playing drums when I was 13-years old. I auditioned for my Brooklyn junior high school band by clapping back rhythms to ...

The Steve Elmer Trio Jazz Life - Live @ Cleopatra's Needle, NYC "Simply a snappy set of solid playing and smart originals that seem to have been designed purely to make you feel good. They hit the mark with room to spare." Midwest Record, October 2010 "The newest CD by Steve Elmer and his regular trio. This marks the third CD by this trio. Elmer's elegant, experienced piano, indeed a textbook of straight ahead piano, Shingo Okudiara's drums, a great balance of delicacy and boldness and Hide Tanaka's sticky groove pulls the trio together. The chemistry between the members produce a sense of flexibility and freedom, only possible from a regular trio

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Jazz Life - Live @...

Self Produced
2010

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Fire Down Below

Self Produced
2008

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Keep Your Eye On The Ball

From: I Used To Be Anonymous
By Steve Elmer

Aaronology

From: Fire Down Below
By Steve Elmer

Videos

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