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Artists
Bill Gerhardt -piano
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“Bill is just as incredible as pianist as he is as composer…in the first rank of contemporary artists.…Such beautiful music, the BEST I listened to in a very long time!”
-Jurg Sommer, Switzerland
“The most outstanding thing about Cotangent is the sense of selflessness with which everyone in the group plays. There is one unified goal: to serve the music. An amazing band. This music NEEDS to be heard!”
-Joe Locke, New York City
Bill Gerhardt, Jazz pianist/composer
Bill Gerhardt, is a prolific composer and
arranger. He teaches privately and in workshop settings or masterclasses. He is a founding
member of the Jazz Composers Forum. Bill has
traveled the world playing jazz music with the top musicians in the
field. He
has played most recently with Tim Horner, Francois Moutin, Marc Mommaas, Jed Levy, Jeff Brillinger, Joe Locke and Ingrid Jensen, Jackie Allen and
Kendra Shank to name a few .
Bill Gerhardt was born in Cape
Girardeau, Missouri. His interest in music was encouraged by his father
who also played piano. He began taking lessons at age nine. In high
school, he was a member of the jazz ensemble under the direction of
Bill Ewing. He continued his studies with Herb Drury in St. Louis and
later attended North Texas State University. After touring the United
States for five years, Bill settled in North Carolina and formed a
quartet with bassist Ron Brendle to focus on original music. Their
group won the 1 st prize at the 1988 down beat Music Fest and Bill was recognized for his composing and arranging. In 1989 he
moved to Amsterdam, Netherlands. He performed throughout Europe, Asia
and Africa and recorded with various projects as both leader and sideman. His last CD with Pere
Soto ‘Particular Vernacular' included
guest-performances from David Liebman and Dave Douglas. Since 1999 Bill
has lived in New York City where he has recorded with such artists as
Billy Higgins, George Mraz, Billy Hart and Tom Harrell. He is a member
of a nine-piece group, The Staring Into the Sun Orchestra and a trio
featuring Michel Gentile on flute and Masa Kamaguchi on bass as well as
leading his own quartet. He is head of the advisory board and a
founding member of the Jazz Composer's Forum in Asheville, North
Carolina, a non-profit organization dedicated to performing and
documenting new original music. In concert settings Bill's music has
been heard on festivals, concerts, radio, television and in jazz clubs
around the world. His music has also been featured in an independent
film by Robert Dew. Since his first professional job at age 15, Bill
has played with Ben Allison, Benny Bailey, Jeff Ballard, Clarence
Becton, John Betch, Michael Blake, Jeff Brillinger, Joe Daley, John
Engels, Leonard Gaskin, Arjen Gorter, John Hebert, Ron Horton, Leonard
Jones, Jed Levy, Tony Malaby, Ron McClure, Billy Mintz, Rutger
Molenkamp, Tony Moreno, Idris Muhammed, Emily Remler, Mike Richmond,
Roswell Rudd, Mike Sarin, Gary Thomas and Steve Wilson among others.