Christian Jacob Biography
Christian
Jacob began playing at the age of four and graduated with
First Prize from the “Conservatoire National Supérieur
de Musique” in Paris. In 1983, he enrolled at the
Berklee College of Music in Boston and later joined the
faculty.
While
attending Berklee “Downbeat Magazine” honored
Christian as “Top Collegiate Jazz Soloist”
and he won the 6th Annual Great American Jazz Piano Competition
in Jacksonville, Florida.
Christian
later toured with Maynard Ferguson, who produced Christian’s
two Concord recordings: “Maynard Ferguson Presents
Christian Jacob” and “Time Lines”.
Christian
quickly began performing and recording with many of today’s
jazz legends Flora Purim and Airto Moreira, Phil Woods,
and Bill Holman to name just a few.
By
the mid 1990’s Christian teamed up with vocalist
Tierney Sutton, drummer Ray Brinker and bassist Trey Henry
to record their first CD together, “Introducing
Tierney Sutton”. The band became known for its sophisticated,
refreshing arrangements, and the obvious musical joy they
felt when playing together.They developed into a tightly
knit group that recorded five critically acclaimed CDs
for Telarc Jazz. “Unsung Heroes”, “Blue
in Green”, “Something Cool”, “Dancing
in the Dark” and “I’m With The Band”,
which was recorded live at Birdland, New York, and nominated
for a Grammy in 2005.
In
the midst of his success with the Tierney Sutton Band,
Christian released his third trio CD, this time on WilderJazz.
The 2004 release, “Styne & Mine”, is a
tribute to the music of Jule Styne, and reached #3 in
the jazz radio charts.
The
success of “Styne & Mine” motivated Christian
to record his latest project “Contradictions”
with The Christian Jacob Trio. The CD pays homage and
offers another look at the original compositions of renowned
pianist Michel Petrucciani and is set for release by July
2006 on the WilderJazz label.
