Grammy-nominated Art Lande is considered one of the premiere improvisational jazz pianists today. His unique approach to improvisation and composition comes from a depth of musical knowledge that few musicians reach. Art adds a touch of Chopin, Debussy, and Mozart with a sprinkling of Cecil Taylor heaped on a mountain of Bill Evans, Chick Corea, and Keith Jarret. No matter the instrument he is performing on, Art brings his knowledge of sound and human instinct to every performance.
The first thing you notice is that he never plays the same thing twice. Everytime he approaches a song, it’s from a new angle and character. Adding humor or tears, his fans experience an emotional roller coaster of delight and surprise.
He began piano at age 4, studied at Williams College, and moved to San Francisco in 1969. Art’s first recording for ECM, Red Lanta, with Jan Garbarek was critically acclaimed throughout the world. His band, Rubisa Patrol, featured Mark Isham (who went on to a formidable career as a soundtrack composer) and recorded several albums for ECM.
Albums with Gary Peacock, Paul McCandless, and several children’s stories for Windham Hill are just a few in the hundreds of albums Art would play on… dozens under his own name. He tours the world as a performer delighting audiences everywhere.
Not only a master musician, Art Lande is a teacher and mentor to many of the world’s finest musicians. He started a jazz school in Berkeley, taught for three years in Switzerland, at the Cornish Institute in Seattle and in 1987 moved to Boulder, Colorado where he continues to teach, perform and live life.
Art’s albums on Blue Coast Records are tributes to the long standing respect and gratitude that founder Cookie Marenco has for him. He was her first improvisation and jazz teacher—but he was more than that. His influence continues to guide her in musical and life decisions.
After the success of the first Blue Coast Collection, it was decided that the first artist on Blue Coast Records should be Art Lande. Art asked, “What do you want me to play?” “Solo piano ballads,” was Cookie’s response.
And he delivered improvisations and interpretations as only Art can… in his own style forging new paths, emotionally charged and expanding the listener’s mind.