About George
When a young musician's sources of inspiration are jazz greats like Dave Brubeck, Ramsey Lewis,
Joe Sample, Vince Guaraldi, and Horace Silver, you'd figure that his own music would turn out to
be pretty special...and in the case of jazz pianist and composer George Kahn, you'd be right.
His music captures the feel of the West Coast Jazz scene of the 50's & 60's, but with a
contemporary edge.
Having majored in Music Composition at Brandeis University, George brings a classically trained sensibility to the jazz form. In his music today, George creates a musical environment where there is room for experimentation and spontaneity. His music, unlike a lot of jazz, is not about how fast or complicated the music is — it's a forum where he can communicate feelings and emotions with his audience. George's musical mission is to recapture the magic of jazz from the earlier periods "before synthesizers and sequencers roamed the earth."
In 1999, George formed Sudhana Music Publishing and his
independent record label, Playing Records, as an avenue to
share his music. He has released six self-produced CDs:
Conscious Dreams
(a jazz/new age configuration), Out
of Time (a jazz recording featuring the late Billy Higgins on
drums), Freedom Vessel
(featuring Dave Carpenter on bass and Joe Labarbera on drums), and
Midnight Brew (featuring
Grammy-nominated trumpeter Bobby Rodriguez, Peak recording artist Eric
Marienthal, and Telarc recording artist Tierney Sutton).
…Compared To What?
was released in October 2004, and reached #28 on the JazzWeek radio charts. It was
rated one of the TOP JAZZ ALBUMS of 2004 by WRTI-FM in Philadelphia, Radioio.com
and All About Jazz.com. In celebration of the album, George began the "MAKE IT
REAL TOUR 2005", bringing the group on a west coast tour with shows in Seattle,
San Francisco, Berkeley, Carmel, Ventura and Pasadena, CA.
George's 2008 release is entitled COVER UP! The album, produced by Brian Bromberg, features George in a piano trio setting with Brian and multi-percussionist Alex Acuna on 6 cuts, and an all-star quintet on the other half of the album. In addition to four new originals, there are cover tunes new and old, ranging from "My Favorite Things" by Rogers and Hammerstein to "Waiting On The World to Change" by John Mayer. The album has already reached #43 on the JazzWeek charts, and is still climbing.
Inspired by the Internet to mass market and distribute his music through alternative channels, George has truly connected with the online music audience through his own website, georgekahn.com. With the release of COVER UP! in June 2008, the website garnered over 700 hits per day.
A firm believer in public school music programs, George has done fundraising for
the Santa Monica Public Schools, and has taught the clinic, "The Art of Comping" at
the IAJE convention in Long Beach CA. In addition, he holds an annual "Jazz for the
Homeless" fundraiser in Los Angeles to benefit PATH – People Assisting The Homeless.
Recent gigs include performances at Los Angeles Jazz Meccas like The Jazz Bakery, and Catalina Bar and Grill. George is currently accepting bookings for his WEST COAST JAZZ WORLD TOUR 2008-2009.
With the subtlety of Dave Brubeck and the positive drive of Vince Guaraldi, George Kahn's piano music is an independent jazz pleasure. Join George and his band (Alex Acuña, Brian Bromberg, Justo Almario, Pat Kelley and John Fumo) as they add to the evolution of Jazz with his 6th release, COVER UP! "There is a constant that runs through his music: It's always hip." – Alfredo Cruz, Jazz Broadcaster.