Alan Broadbent

Alan Broadbent was born in Auckland, New Zealand and in 1966, at the age of 19, received a Downbeat Magazine scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston. In 1969 he was asked to join Woody Herman's band as his pianist and arranger for 3 years. In 1972 he settled in Los Angeles, beginning a musical relationship with the legendary singer Irene Kral (no relation to Diana Krall). Soon he was also invited into the studio scene as a pianist for the great Nelson Riddle, David Rose and Johnny Mandel. In the early 90s he was asked to be a part of Natalie Cole's famous "Unforgettable" cd, at which time he toured as her pianist and, a little while later, as her conductor. At this time he wrote an orchestral arrangement for her second video with her dad, "When I Fall In Love", which won him his first Grammy for "best orchestral arrangement accompanying a vocal".

Shortly after, he became a member of Charlie Haden's Quartet West, touring the festivals of Europe, UK and the USA. It was while with this group that he won his second Grammy, an orchestral accompaniment written for Shirley Horn of Leonard Bernstein's "Lonely Town". As a soloist and with his jazz trio, Broadbent has been nominated for Grammys twice for best instrumental performance, in the company of such artists as Herbie Hancock, Sonny Rollins and Keith Jarrett. In 2007 he was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit, an honor he holds in high regard.

Broadbent is Diana Krall's conductor for her occasional orchestra concerts and is the conductor on her "Live in Paris" DVD. Recently he has been the arranger on Glenn Frey's cd with strings, "After Hours", and wrote six string arrangements for Sir Paul McCartney's "Kisses On The Bottom" with the London Symphony. He has just returned from solo piano concerts in the UK, Poland and France. It has been his lifelong goal, through his orchestral arrangements and jazz improvisations, to discover, in popular music and standard songs, deeper feelings of communication and love.

Awards

- 2010: Grammy Nomination, Best Improv. Solo “Solar”, CD “Live at Giannelli Square, Vol. 1″

- 2006: Grammy Nomination, Best Improv. Solo “What’s New”, CD “You And the Night and The Music”

- 2005: Grammy Nomination, Best Improv. Solo “Round Midnight”, CD “‘Round Midnight”

- 2002: Grammy Nomination, for “I’m Glad There Is You”, CD Natalie Cole “Ask A Woman Who Knows”

- 1999: Grammy Award, for “Lonely Town” arrangement, CD Charlie Haden Quartet West “The Art Of The Song”

- 1997: Grammy Nomination, Best Composition “Every Time I Think Of You”, CD “Personal Standards”

- 1996: Grammy Award, for “When I Fall In Love”, CD Natalie Cole “Stardust”

CeCe Gable: Next Year's Song

by Dan Bilawsky
March 15, 2023

To hear CeCe Gable sing is to encounter pure truth. A late bloomer whose early passion for dance was eventually eclipsed by the lure of jazz, she's spent the past three decades honing her craft and establishing herself as a sincere storyteller adept at honoring a lyric and elevating every number she inhabits. Since first taking to the studio at the dawn of the new millennium, CeCe has gone on to develop a body of work that speaks volumes about ...

Album Review

Sheila Jordan: Live at Mezzrow

Read "Live at Mezzrow" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
December 7, 2022

Inossidabile, leggendaria Sheila. Un anno fa usciva lo splendido inedito del 1960 con la Jordan agli inizi di carriera www.allaboutjazz.com/comes-love-lost-session-1960-sheila-jordan-capri-records e 6 decenni dopo la cantante è ancora on stage, in bella forma all'età di 93 anni. Com'è noto Sheila Jordan iniziò a cantare tardivamente—poco dopo i 30—e per motivi famigliari sviluppò la sua carriera artistica dalla seconda metà dei settanta, quando aveva superato i quarantacinque. Nella maturità ci ha regalato le sue cose migliori, in un ...

Album Review

Alan Broadbent Trio: Like Minds

Read "Like Minds" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
July 21, 2022

Alan Broadbent, a superb New Zealand-born pianist who has made his home in America for more than fifty years, has mapped out another impressive trio album, Like Minds, his twenty-seventh as leader or co-leader and third for Savant Records. The term “pianist" is used here because that is Broadbent's most conspicuous role on this recording. He is as well-known at home and abroad as a Grammy-winning composer-arranger for an array of jazz luminaries including but not limited to Sue Raney, ...

Album Review

Sheila Jordan: Live At Mezzrow

Read "Live At Mezzrow" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
July 16, 2022

Sheila Jordan is a living jazz legend. Since coming to New York City in 1950 at the encouragement of Charlie Parker, she is one of, if not the last, living link to a time and a place in the jazz world that is the subject of hagiography, myth and occasionally reality. With a voice that is uniquely her own, it is possible that in the course of a single song interpretation, Jordan's voice can sound morose and honeyed, supple and ...

Album Review

Roseanna Vitro: Sing a Song of Bird

Read "Sing a Song of Bird" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
November 2, 2021

Roseanne Vitro is one of those jazz singers who falls into the category of “I recognize the voice, but I just can't seem to place her." She has more than a respectable discography which stretches back to 1982, when she released her debut album Listen Here for the Texas Rose label. Her fall 2021 album, Sing A Song Of Bird, is a combination of abundance of attitude and perseverance, since it is composed of two separate sessions (one recorded in ...

Interview

Alan Broadbent: Intimate Reflections on a Passion for Jazz

by Victor L. Schermer
October 12, 2018

Pianist, composer, and arranger Alan Broadbent doesn't just “dig" jazz. He has a deep and enduring passion for it. Growing up in mid- 20th-century New Zealand, he quickly went beyond piano lessons to reading musical scores and learning jazz standards. Then, when the Dave Brubeck Quartet came to his relatively isolated hometown of Auckland, his love of jazz escalated to an obsession. Soon he got a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music, studied with Lennie Tristano in New York, ...

Live Review

Alan Broadbent Trio at the Deer Head Inn

by Victor L. Schermer
August 15, 2018

Alan Broadbent Trio Deer Head Inn Delaware Water Gap, PA August 11, 2018 Believe you me, it wasn't by choice that I hadn't been to the Dear Head Inn in a few years to take in some great jazz in its secluded setting on a wooded hill near the river at the edge of town in the Pocono Mountains. Despite its rural location, it has a musical history to rival New ...

Event

Charles Carlini Presents Announces Partnership With Klavierhaus For Jazz Piano And Guitar Masters Series

Source: Charles Carlini Presents
May 3, 2024

Charles Carlini Presents, a leading nonprofit arts presenter, is thrilled to announce its partnership with Klavierhaus, located at 790 11th Avenue, New York, NY 10019. This collaboration marks an exciting chapter for both organizations as they come together to present the acclaimed Piano Jazz Series and Guitar Masters Series, showcasing world-class talent in an intimate setting. Klavierhaus, renowned as a premier piano atelier, provides the perfect backdrop for these exceptional musical experiences. With its dedication to quality and a deep ...
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Music Industry

Charles Carlini Presents Partners With Klavierhaus To Bring Live HD Streaming Events To Audiences Worldwide

Source: Charles Carlini Presents
April 8, 2024

Charles Carlini Presents is excited to announce its partnership with Klavierhaus, a premier piano atelier located at 790 11th Avenue, New York, NY 10019, to bring high-definition live streaming of their exceptional events through Stellar, a first-class hybrid live event platform. This collaboration marks a significant step in expanding the reach of Charles Carlini Presents' captivating live experiences to audiences worldwide. By harnessing the cutting-edge technology of Stellar and the renowned acoustics of Klavierhaus, viewers can immerse themselves in the ...
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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Alan Broadbent

Source: Michael Ricci
April 23, 2023

All About Jazz is celebrating Alan Broadbent's birthday today!

Interview

Alan Broadbent: 'Like Minds'

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
May 13, 2022

Out today is Alan Broadbent's new trio album, Like Minds (Savant), with Harvie S on bass and Billy Mintz on drums. It's a terrific trio recording, featuring Alan's elegant piano and superb conversational interactions with Harvie and Billy. I've known Alan for many years, and it's always a joy to hear his new releases, see him live and catch up. I first fell in love with his playing on his duo albums backing vocalist Irene Kral—Where Is Love (1974) and ...
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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Alan Broadbent

Source: Michael Ricci
April 23, 2022

All About Jazz is celebrating Alan Broadbent's birthday today!

Recording

Alan Broadbent Plays Dave Brubeck

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
August 24, 2021

A tribute album to Dave Brubeck isn't about emulating Dave. It also isn't about interpretation. To hit the bull's eye, you have to capture Dave's spirit—his broad smile, his post-war optimism and his sophisticated, sunny feel, which is purely emotional. Either you get it or you don't. Having spent an afternoon on assignment with Dave in 2010 at his house in Connecticut watching the creek that rushed past his home empty into a lake, I totally get it. So does ...
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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Alan Broadbent

Source: Michael Ricci
April 23, 2021

All About Jazz is celebrating Alan Broadbent's birthday today!

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Alan Broadbent

Source: Michael Ricci
April 23, 2020

All About Jazz is celebrating Alan Broadbent's birthday today!

Recording

Review: Alan Broadbent’s New York Notes

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
June 4, 2019

Since he moved from California to New York several years ago, Alan Broadbent has expanded his multifaceted ways as pianist, composer and conductor-arranger for major singers including Diana Krall, Natalie Cole, Sheila Jordan and the British discovery Georgia Mancio. New York Notes finds Broadbent leading a trio. That is the setting that brought him to the attention of audiences and critics early in his career. His associations with Woody Herman, John Klemmer and Charlie Haden’s Quartet West were milestones in ...
read more

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Alan Broadbent

Source: Michael Ricci
April 23, 2019

All About Jazz is celebrating Alan Broadbent's birthday today!

"Alan Broadbent in Brooklyn: A Close Encounter with a Jazz Titan"

—-Gig review, Allen Morrison, DownBeat Magazine, 8. April 2014

"The gossamer orchestrations by two heavyweights - Johnny Mandel and Alan Broadbent - float like milkweed behind Mr. McCartney's voice."

—-Review for Sir Paul McCartney's new CD, -Kisses on the Bottom-, Stephen Holden, The New York Times, 6. February 2012

"He makes damn fine piano trio records, one after the other, but they only hint at his live persona."

—-Thomas Conrad, JazzTimes, January/February 2009

Primary Instrument

Piano

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Credentials/Background

As a professor of jazz studies at NYU I am also making myself available for teaching private students via Skype or Zoom. Lessons can be any combination of the following: 1. Jazz improvisation on any instrument, but mainly piano, with an emphasis on jazz time and note to note improvisation as revolutionized by Bud Powell and Charlie Parker. 2. Jazz harmony and its related scales; how to build chords and apply appropriate voice leading. 3. A study of standard songs, including jazz standards and their structures; composing in the style, so as to develop one’s own compositional voice. 4. Big band orchestration and composition. 5. Arranging for singers; small group, big band and orchestra. 6. Symphonic orchestration. 7. Informal study and discussion of the 10 symphonies of Gustav Mahler, their composition and orchestration. If you are interested, please write a message using the contact form on my website and I’ll let you know how we can proceed. Alan