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Teri Parker

Teri Parker (MA, BMus) is a jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader based in Toronto, Canada. Born into a musical family, Parker gravitated towards the rich history and creative possibilities of jazz while still in high school; when it came time to apply for post-secondary schooling, she was accepted into the University of Toronto’s prestigious Jazz Studies program. It was at U of T that Parker had the opportunity to study with prominent educators who would prove foundational in her development as an artist, including celebrated instrumentalists and composers such as Dave Restivo, David Braid, and Phil Nimmons, Director Emeritus of Jazz Studies. After graduating from U of T, Parker continued her studies independently; as the winner of successive grants from the Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council, she was able to continue learning with world-renowned artists in New York and Europe, including Sophia Rosoff, Aaron Goldberg, Guillermo Klein, Fred Hersch, and Enrico Pieranunzi. 

In 2021, Parker completed an MA in Composition at York University, where she studied with Randolph Peters, Stephanie Martin, and Noam Lemish. During her time in the MA program, Parker honed her abilities in jazz composition and was exposed to a variety of different techniques from the classical world, allowing her to bring a deeper sense of nuance and artistry to her own music. She also had the opportunity to learn more about jazz from an ethnomusicological perspective, taking an intersectional approach to the study of jazz history, and learning more about the stories of performers, composers, and music-industry professionals whose work has not always been recognized within standard historical narratives. 

An engaging, driven performer, Parker is a fixture on the Canadian jazz scene, and has performed in a variety of ensembles as both a sideperson and a bandleader. She has played at a number of major national festivals, including the Toronto Jazz Festival, the Halifax Jazz Festival, and the Guelph Jazz Festival, and is a regular at some of Canada’s most prominent jazz venues, including the National Music Center, The Rex, and Jazz Bistro, as well as live on air on JAZZ.91 FM. In demand as an educator, Parker has also worked regularly as a teacher and clinician, maintaining a popular private music studio, as well as appearing as an artist-in-residence at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. 

In 2018, Parker founded a new group: Free Spirits, an ensemble that celebrates the music of venerable jazz pianists Mary Lou Williams (1920-1981) and Geri Allen (1957-2017).

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11
Album Review

Teri Parker: Shaping the Invisible

Read "Shaping the Invisible" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Here is how to take an artistic vision to the next level: Find a room with a lock on the door. Step inside. Engage the lock. Examine the work of those who came before you. Then begin the process of your own creativity. This worked for pianist/composer Parker--so says her sophomore recording, Shaping The Invisible. Parker is a Toronto-based musician. Her debut album, 2017's self-produced In The Past (review here) is a highly engaging and beautifully ...

4
Album Review

Teri Parker: In The Past

Read "In The Past" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Toronto-based pianist Teri Parker has released three CDs with her Parker Abbott Trio--including Elevation (Self Produced, 2016). The Parker Abbott Trio features Parker paired with another keyboardist--Simeon Abbott--and a drummer, sounding electric and modernistic. Now she presents In The Past, her first release with her more acoustic quartet. The line-up is the standard rhythm section and a saxophone out front ensemble, engaged in presenting a dozen of Parker's well-crafted, always engagements compositions. Several spins of the disc leaves the ...

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"The line-up is the standard rhythm section and a saxophone out front ensemble, engaged in presenting a dozen of Parker's well-crafted, always engagements compositions. Several spins of the disc leaves the impression of Teri Parker as a gifted melodist… The set closes with its loveliest composition, "Saturn"—the most beautiful of celestial bodies inspiring a beautiful modern jazz sound." ★★★★☆ 

Dan McClenaghan – All About Jazz 

"Art without being artsy, this is a first call listening date, particularly for people in need of gorgeous playing that will simply take them away. Solidly played throughout, this is how they keep things hot in Toronto over the winter."

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Shaping the Invisible

Self Produced
2023

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In The Past

Self Produced
2017

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https://soundcloud.com/teri-parker-637510610/humph? si=3026db08cea047e69e5c86a485d6b62c&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=soc ial_sharing

Segment

From: Shaping the Invisible
By Teri Parker

Summer City

From: In The Past
By Teri Parker

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