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Geoff Lapp
Geoff Lapp, a Montreal native, was born in 1953, and is considered one of Canada’s most accomplished pianists/composers; he is a much sought-after accompanist for a host of top Canadian performers.
Originally trained in the classical tradition, Mr. Lapp studied at McGill University under the widely respected Art Maiste. Over time, he became known for his excellent technique and large repertoire of jazz standards. After gaining experience in the pop music world touring with Quebec rock icon, Michel Pagliaro, he performed in salsa, country, funk and rock bands. In the early ‘80’s he became committed to the jazz idiom and has not looked back since then.
He has performed with renowned jazzmen such as Paquito d’Rivera, Don Menza, Richie Cole, Sonny Fortune, and Slide Hampton, among others. On one occasion, Liza Minnelli, in town for a concert appearance and finding herself at Biddles later that evening, liked the band so much that she spontaneously jammed with them at the landmark Montreal nightclub. (It should be noted that Geoff Lapp is one of the few Canadian jazz musicians with such an extensive club gig; length of which has contributed no doubt to his evolution as a player.) Lapp has performed extensively worldwide, in festivals and clubs both in North America and overseas.He also performs on a regular basis at the Montreal Jazz Festival with various ensembles.
At home in Quebec, he is a mainstay on the vibrant jazz scene, and has performed with a who’s who of local luminaries.
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Melissa Pipe Sextet: Of What Remains
by Hrayr Attarian
On the enchanting Of What Remains, her debut as a leader, Canadian saxophonist and bassoonist Melissa Pipe delightfully blurs the boundaries between jazz and western classical music. Pipe leads a cohesive sextet on seven of her haunting originals, on the theme of time, and an arrangement of Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits' Puudutus." For instance, La Part Des Anges" opens with Pipe playing the main motif on her airy bassoon, with support from drummer Mili Hong's effervescent beats. After ...
read moreMelissa Pipe Sextet: Of What Remains
by Dan McClenaghan
Montreal-based multi-reedist Melissa Pipe's artistic vision is fully formed. Her debut recording, Of What Remains, features a sextet which explores darkness with deep tones--Pipe plays baritone sax and bassoon here--by delving into temporality, the shifting of time and being, via chamber music reveries and jazz grooves. Noir is a word which comes immediately to mind on the disc's opener, Complainte du vent," and its follow-up, La part des anges." a pair of somber tunes which may evoke a ...
read moreGeoff Lapp: Stained Glass
by Budd Kopman
Pianist Geoff Lapp and his trio are in high demand in their native Montreal, Canada, and if Stained Glass is any indication of how the group plays live, it is easy to see why. The reasons given for entitling an album are many times not clear. Stained Glass" evokes an image a church window, or maybe a Tiffany lamp, and the metaphor could be extended to many small pieces of different colors making up the whole, creating ...
read moreTake Five: Geoff Lapp
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Jazzblog.ca by Peter Hum
If you were to spend just a bit of time poking around geofflapp.com, you might think that the Montreal pianist was one of these 20-something musicians who is new to the scene but has plenty of Web mojo. His site links to his Facebook and Twitter accounts and indeed, via song.ly, he tried this year to promote Canadian jazz by directing people to hosted MP3s by Canadian jazz musicians. At his site, Lapp a listening room with tracks from his ...
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"...has much to offer the jazz world.” ejazznews.com John Gilbert 4 Stars
“...excellent CD“ Ken Dryden **** Stars allmusic.com
“...Melodic and swinging jazz piano from an underappreciated talent“ Salon.com
“…Lapp demonstrates an equally impressive array of talents as soloist, accompanist and composer…his…technique contains equal proportions of passion and lyricism” Cadence Jazz Journal, USA
“...considerable compositional skills…”The Jazz Report, Toronto
“…tasteful…swinging…check out Lapp” Cadence Jazz Journal,USA
“…confident and sensitive playing…”The Globe & Mail, Toronto
“…as Oliver Jones moves up in the jazz world, younger Montreal players take his place: Geoff Lapp, pianist…” Ottawa Citizen
"...a revelation: generously proportioned,understated, with moments of surprising audacity
Primary Instrument
Piano
Location
Montreal
Willing to teach
Intermediate to advanced
Photos
Music
La parte des anges
From: Of What RemainsBy Geoff Lapp