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Joan Stiles

Pianist/composer Joan Stiles has been gaining recognition for her highly creative approach to the jazz tradition. She recently joined the roster of pianists who have appeared on Marian McPartland’s PianoJazz show and she was profiled on WBGO’s hour-long “Jazz from the Archives” broadcast. Her 2nd CD, Hurly-Burly garnered a 4-star review from Downbeat Magazine and topped JazzWeek Radio charts. Ted Panken writes, “Joan Stiles possesses the chops, craft, imagination, wit and sophistication to be mentioned iwith the most distinguished descendants of Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, and Mary Lou Williams.”

Stiles’ 3rd CD, Three Musicians (Fall 2011 release on Oo-Bla-Dee records) is an adventurous trio outing with repertoire ranging from standards, show tunes, Monk, Strayhorn, Mary Lou Williams to Beatles and Clapton. Highlights include collages on LOVE— “In the Sunshine of My Funny Valentine’s Love” and MONEY — "“Brother, Can You Spare a Dime” meets “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Stiles' compositions, "West End Boogie," a soulful rhythmic odd-meter blues, and her Gillespie/Dameron- inspired "Bebopicity" add to the eclectic mix.

In Pablo Picasso’s iconic Cubist masterpiece “Three Musicians,” the Spanish painter constructs a joyous geometric collage portraying himself and two close friends as a carnivalesque combo. On pianist Joan Stiles’ consistently inspired new CD, Three Musicians, she’s created an equally vivid portrait of bold artists in action, a captivating aural collage full of witty, often jaw- dropping juxtapositions (she’s also responsible for the CD’s smart cover art, a Picasso homage-collage).

Her first two albums, (Hurly-Burly and Love Call) showcased Stiles as a resourceful and inventive arranger. With its stripped-down instrumentation, Three Musicians reveals the pianist as a madcap seat-of-the- pants improviser who combines vast harmonic resources and rhythmic acuity with a sharp sense of humor.

The unusual trio features saxophonist Joel Frahm and drummer Matt Wilson, superlative musicians who share Stiles’ prodigious sense of play. The concept for the group flowed from the talent-laden sextet featured on Stiles’s 2007 album Hurly-Burly with Frahm, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, alto saxophonist Steve Wilson, and the consummate rhythm section of bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash.

A jazz artist doesn’t create an unorthodox album like Three Musicians without a deep well of experiences to draw upon. Joan Stiles has taken a long, circuitous route to becoming one of jazz’s most inventive pianists and bandleaders. Born and raised in Brooklyn, she gravitated to a converted player piano in her grandmother’s Greenpoint apartment, picking out TV commercial themes “by ear.” Encouraged by her father, an amateur singer, she quickly learned how to read lead sheets, improvise, and accompany him singing standards. In her early teens, she found a creative outlet as a guitar-wielding singer/songwriter who performed around Brooklyn. Later on as a precocious 17-year-old college sophomore, she dropped out of NYU to join a rock band as keyboardist and vocalist.

After starting a family, while still in her early 20s, Stiles went back to school studying European classical music and working as a vocal accompanist on piano and harpsichord. By the mid-’80s, she was a classical theory major in graduate school, teaching at Brooklyn College, and becoming increasingly more passionate about jazz.

In 1986, Stiles formally shifted her academic focus from classical to jazz, and earned an M.M. from the Manhattan School of Music, studying with Harold Danko. She suffered a dramatic setback in 1988 after slipping on a wet cellar door and smashing her left wrist to pieces. Following surgery and rehabilitation, she played her first NYC trio gigs and learned the bandleading ropes through trial and error. But none of her previous experience really prepared her for her debut album, 2004’s Love Call (Zoho).

Widely hailed as one of the year’s best releases, Love Call is the work of a wildly ambitious artist stretching herself to the utmost. Featuring a cast of veteran masters, including trumpeter Clark Terry, tenor saxophonist Frank Wess, reed expert Jerry Dodgion, baritone saxophonist Joe Temperley, trombonist Benny Powell, and trumpeter Warren Vaché, the album features her octet arrangements of American Songbook standards and jazz classics.

If Love Call grounded Stiles in the language of post- World War II jazz, Hurly-Burly put her in the thick of the progressive mainstream action. The album evolved out of her ongoing efforts to spotlight the genius of Mary Lou Williams, the pianist, composer, and arranger who “played through all the eras.” For over a decade, Joan Stiles has been re-arranging and performing Williams’ music in her ongoing concert series, “Mostly Mary Lou.” Her quintet was featured at the Institute of Jazz Studies’ “Kool/Knowledge Conference on Mary Lou Williams” and Stiles’ “Hurly-Burly” sextet (with Jeremy Pelt, Steve Wilson, Joel Frahm, Ben Williams and Lewis Nash) celebrated Williams’ centennial at Iridium Jazz Club.

What’s striking about Stiles is that she’s not beholden to any one era or jazz piano style. Her immersion in Mary Lou Williams’ work has opened up jazz’s rich but often neglected history. Doug Ramsey writes, “Adventure, daring, exuberance and wit complement the sense of history coursing through her music…She weaves into her piano styles the blues, swing, stride and boogie that still inspire her.”

With her new release, Three Musicians, Stiles is looking squarely to the future, making music that’s as fresh and full of wondrous surprises as any artist on the scene today.

Gear

Steinway Hamburg "B" piano (1979); Kawai CA-93 digital piano.

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Joan Stiles: Three Musicians

Read "Three Musicians" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
December 6, 2011

On the surface, Three Musicians is a smart collection of performances from a witty threesome, but closer observation reveals deep Cubist intent. In referencing one of Pablo Picasso's masterpieces, pianist Joan Stiles touches on a style of art that rarely finds an overt entrance into jazz, creating a layered, collage ideology within the very fabric of her work. The term “mash-up" has become the phrase of choice in pop music circles to describe arrangements that weave two ...

139

Album Review

Joan Stiles: Hurly-Burly

Read "Hurly-Burly" reviewed by Elliott Simon

by Elliott Simon
January 7, 2008

Back with her own unique take on the piano's place in jazz, the aptly named Joan “mistress of many Stiles presents a session with myriad influences in a variety of formats with her sophomore effort, Hurly-Burly. Her first release, Love Call (ZoHo, 2004), was a breath of fresh air that more than hinted at clever arranging skills combined with an ability to interpret and present the “classics" on her own terms. Hurly-Burly makes good on that promise and is evidence ...

159

Album Review

Joan Stiles: Hurly-Burly

Read "Hurly-Burly" reviewed by Michael P. Gladstone

by Michael P. Gladstone
December 4, 2007

Pianist, composer, bandleader and occasional vocalist Joan Stiles's terrific Hurly-Burly shows her skill at arranging, as well as being an ambitious tribute to her pianistic heroes. Here's hoping that it works this time, as her debut recording Love Calls (Zoho, 2004), which included a most impressive cast of Clark Terry, Frank Wess, Warren Vache, Benny Powell and Joe Temperley was held in the can for six years until Zoho finally released it.

Hurly-Burly's thematic concept is ...

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Bailey's Bundles

Joan Stiles and Lisa Hilton: Two New York States Of Mind

by C. Michael Bailey
August 3, 2007

New York City pianist/vocalist Joan Stiles and Malibu pianist Lisa Hilton have something in common: their taste in men...musical sidemen, that is. Alto saxophonist Steve Wilson, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and drummer Lewis Nash show up amongst the sextet and quintet featured, respectively, on Stile's Hurly-Burly and Hilton's New York Sessions.

Despite their part-shared personnels, these recordings illustrate vastly different approaches to jazz composition, cover selection and performance. They also honor the musicianship of all involved, making the listening experience both ...

168

Album Review

Joan Stiles: Love Call

Read "Love Call" reviewed by Jochem van Dijk

by Jochem van Dijk
November 22, 2004

A genre not too often reiterated: songbook rephrasings with a tightly arranged ensemble in various appearances. Although pianist and arranger Joan Stiles is by all means a fine and thoughtful player, it is in the underrated art of writing and conducting horn charts for small ensembles, that Love Call really shines. She makes expert use of either wide or narrow voicings both consonant and dissonant. With only a few players Stiles creates an old-style bigbandish thickness, or ...

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Album Review

Joan Stiles: Love Call

Read "Love Call" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
November 20, 2004

On Joan Stiles debut, Love Call, the pianist sometimes had me thinking of Erroll Garner, with a bright elan in her right hand flourishes; and sometimes she had me thinking of Thelonious Monk, with quirky chords and odd angles; but mostly she reminds me--as an arranger, not a player--of Ellington, penning her charts, masterfully, with the individual instrumentalists in mind, on this set of solo piano, piano trio, quartet, septet, octet and nonet renditions of familar songs.The disc ...

200

Album Review

Joan Stiles: Love Call

Read "Love Call" reviewed by Elliott Simon

by Elliott Simon
July 25, 2004

Joan Stiles' solo piano artfully interprets a clever arrangement of “Take the A Train" and perfectly portrays the full range of emotions inherent in Billy Strayhorn's final composition “Blood Count." This is after leading an octet in which tenor giant Frank Wess and baritone man Joe Temperley cut loose on Clifford Brown's “Daahoud." In addition, the pianist makes all stops in between on Love Call.

Stiles' song selection serves as a wonderful introduction to both her expressive touch, which evinces ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Joan Stiles

Source: Michael Ricci
June 1, 2018

All About Jazz is celebrating Joan Stiles' birthday today!

Place our Musician of the Day widget ...
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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Joan Stiles

Source: Michael Ricci
June 1, 2017

All About Jazz is celebrating Joan Stiles' birthday today!

Place our Musician of the Day widget ...
read more

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Joan Stiles

Source: Michael Ricci
June 1, 2016

All About Jazz is celebrating Joan Stiles' birthday today!

Place our Musician of the Day widget ...
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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Joan Stiles

Source: Michael Ricci
June 1, 2015

All About Jazz is celebrating Joan Stiles' birthday today! Pianist/composer Joan Stiles has been gaining recognition for her highly creative approach to the jazz tradition. She recently joined the roster of pianists who have appeared on Marian McPartland’s PianoJazz show and she was profiled on WBGO’s hour-long “Jazz from the Archives” broadcast. Her 2nd CD, Hurly-Burly garnered a 4-star review from Downbeat Magazine and topped JazzWeek Radio charts. Ted Panken writes... Read more. Place our Musician of the Day widget ...
read more

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Joan Stiles

Source: Michael Ricci
June 1, 2014

172

Contest

Enter the "Joan Stiles - Three Musicians" CD Giveaway at All About Jazz!

Source: All About Jazz
January 1, 2012

All About Jazz members are invited to enter the Oo-Bla-Dee “Joan Stiles—Three Musicians“ giveaway contest starting today. We'll select FIVE winners at the conclusion of the contest on January 31st. Click here to enter the contest (Following Joan Stiles at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.) Good luck! Your Friends at Oo-Bla-Dee Music “Stiles, drummer Matt Wilson and saxophonist Joel Frahm overlap, contrast, collide and collude with one another in complementary fashion as they create music full ...
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Recording

"Three Musicians" is New CD from Pianist/Arranger Joan Stiles, Featuring Joel Frahm & Matt Wilson

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity
December 27, 2011

Pianist Joan Stiles's first two CDs—Love Call (Zoho, 2004) and Hurly-Burly (Oo-Bla-Dee, 2007)—showcased Stiles the resourceful and inventive arranger for octet and sextet. Her new album, Three Musicians, on which Stiles arranges for an unusual trio with saxophonist Joel Frahm and drummer Matt Wilson, reveals the pianist as a fearless improviser who combines harmonic gifts and rhythmic acuity with a pleasingly sharp sense of humor. The album is due for Oct. 25 release on her Oo-Bla-Dee label. Three Musicians is ...
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Video / DVD

Weekend Extra: Joan Stiles

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
September 26, 2010

The pianist, composer and teacher Joan Stiles runs one of the hippest sextets in New York. Her circle of insider admirers encompasses many of the best-known musicians injazz today and is widening to include a substantial number of listeners in the general audience. Stiles achieves identifiable individuality in her own compositions and in her arrangements of songbook standards and pieces by Mary Lou Williams, Thelonious Monk, Fats Waller, Jimmy Rowles and Duke Ellington, among others. Stiles was the most recent ...
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Performance / Tour

Joan Stiles Sextet at Sweet Rhythm/NYC - January 7th, 2008

Source: Two for the Show Media
January 3, 2008

Pianist, Composer, & Bandleader Joan Stiles will be performing with her Sextet at Sweet Rhythm in NYC Monday, January 7th, 2008 in celebration of her new release Hurly-Burly. Set Times 8:00 & 10:00 PM. Joan Stiles Sextet Joan Stiles, piano Mike Rodriguez, trumpet Steve Wilson, alto sax Joel Frahm, tenor sax David Wong, bass Matt Wilson, drums “Each track of Hurly-Burly is its own small event, immaculately prepared ...
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Performance / Tour

Joan Stiles/Joel Frahm Duo Concert at the New School Jazz Performance Space

Source: Two for the Show Media
October 8, 2007

"Joan Stiles possesses the chops, craft, imagination, wit and sophistication to be mentioned with the most distinguished descendants of Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk and Mary Lou Williams." — Ted Panken, Downbeat

"With Stiles and Monk, wit and beauty are not mutually exclusive." — Thomas Conrad, JazzTimes

"Joan Stiles writes and plays brilliantly with great respect for melody and clarity...She is an authentic original." — Dave Frishberg

"Swings with wit and verve, brimming with the joyous flair of a Wynton Kelly or Erroll Garner...hauntingly beautiful arrangements." — Bill Milkowski

Primary Instrument

Piano

Location

New York City

Willing to teach

Beginner to advanced

Credentials/Background

Instructor, Manhattan School of Music, NY, NY; Instructor, The New School Jazz Program, NY, NY; Private teaching studio, Upper West side, Manhattan, NY, NY.