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Kris Bowers
Pianist Kris Bowers is one of the newest and brightest lights on the jazz landscape. Schooled in jazz and classical music, raised amid the rap and hip- hop of the 1990s, inspired by the cinematic power of the great film composers of recent decades, Bowers’ sound – though rooted in traditional styles – is open to numerous external influences that keep the music fresh and vibrant for a new century. This rich and eclectic sensibility is evident from the very first notes of Heroes + Misfits, his debut recording on Concord Jazz.
Bowers' musical sensibilities were taking shape before he even saw the light of day. The story has it that his parents positioned headphones on his mother’s belly and piped soft jazz directly into his evolving consciousness in the months before he was born. And it was just the beginning.
Born in 1989 in Los Angeles, Bowers was raised by parents whose tastes ran to Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind and Fire, Tower of Power, Marvin Gaye and other purveyors of old-school R&B and funk. He was learning the rudiments of piano via the Suzuki method by the time he was four, and taking private lessons at age nine. By the time he reached middle school, he had developed his ear to the point where he could learn the pop music of the day just by turning on a radio, picking up melodies and harmonies, and developing improvisational lines.
Despite his parents’ retro sensibilities, Bowers’ tastes leaned more toward the rap and hip-hop of the 1990s. In addition, he was drawn to the music of Howard Shore, Michael Giacchino, John Williams, Danny Elfman, John Powell and other high-profile film composers. Inspired by the diversity of music in the world around him and frustrated by the restrictions of his classical training, he threatened to give up the piano, so his parents countered by enrolling him in jazz lessons.
“When I started taking the jazz lessons, I felt like I was doing something different enough that I was appeased for a while,” says Bowers. “I liked the freedom of jazz. The truth is, a lot of popular music – including the music I was listening to as a teenager – came from jazz and the blues.”
High school was a dual musical track for Bowers, who attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts while also taking classical and jazz classes at the Colburn School for Performing Arts. Guided by some of the older students at Colburn, he discovered the solo recordings of Oscar Peterson, while at the same time performing at numerous jazz festivals as part of his LACHSA curriculum.
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Kris Bowers: A Deeper Look into Heroes + Misfits
by K. Shackelford
Kris Bowers is a pristine example of what the term prodigy embodies. In 2011, at the tender age of 22, he became the winner of the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition. Bowers also received an astute musical education at Julliard School of Music in New York--receiving a Bachelor's degree and Master's degree in Film Scoring and Jazz Performance before reaching the age of 25. Yet Bowers' style is not limited to traditional jazz. It is also shaped by ...
read moreKris Bowers: Heroes + Misfits
by Mark F. Turner
Expectations can lead to unexpected directions. Kris Bowers, the compelling young pianist who took first place in 2011's Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, wowed judges that included the likes of Ellis Marsalis, Herbie Hancock and Jason Moran. A prodigy whose encyclopedic knowledge of jazz matches an adroit freedom that can't just be taught in the classroom, Bowers could have easily debuted with a jazz-centered release. Yet Heroes + Misfits isn't your stereotypical introduction as the aspiring musician's ...
read moreKris Bowers at Joe's Pub on Saturday, September 15 @ 9:30pm
Source:
All About Jazz
JOE’S PUB PRESENTS Thelonious Monk First Place Competition Winner KRIS BOWERS Saturday, September 15, 2012 at 9:30 p.m. New York, NY: Kris Bowers definitely qualifies as one of the brightest young jazz players to emerge in recent years. Just 23-years-old with a Master's Degree from Juilliard, he recently won the prestigious Thelonious Monk piano competition at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Thelonious Monk Institute of ...
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NEA Jazz Master Ellis Marsalis And Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition Winner Kris Bowers Teamed To Present Music Education Programs
Source:
Holly Wallace
Hundreds of students and jazz lovers attended free grand piano duo outreach events Celebrated pianist-educator Ellis Marsalis was joined by newcomer Kris Bowers, the 22-year-old winner of the 2011 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition, in a series of music education programs across New Orleans, presented by the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz with lead funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. Marsalis and Bowers performed together for the first time on duo grand pianos for hundreds of public ...
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