about bruce

 

Jazz pianist and composer Bruce Barth has been sharing his music with listeners the world over for more than thirty-five years.  In addition to traveling widely performing his own music, he has also performed with revered jazz masters, and has collaborated with leading musicians of his own generation.  Zan Stewart of the Newark Star Ledger writes: "No one sounds quite like Barth. His solos are characterized by robust swing, his ability to tell a story, and by his rich, beguiling sound."

 

Bruce has performed on over 135 recordings and movie soundtracks, including seventeen as a leader.  He is equally at home playing solo piano (American Landscape on Satchmo Jazz Records), leading an all-star septet (East and West on MaxJazz), and composing for a variety of ensembles.  His trio has recorded live at the legendary Village Vanguard in New York City. 

 

Originally from Pasadena, California, Bruce arrived on the New York jazz scene in 1988, and soon started working in the bands of Stanley Turrentine and Terence Blanchard.  Bruce’s first two CD’s as a leader, In Focus and Morning Call, were chosen for the New York Times’ top ten lists.  These recordings displayed not only his powerfully fluent piano playing, but also the scope of his own compositions and his imaginative arrangements of jazz standards. 

 

As a leader of his trio and larger ensembles, Bruce has performed

at major venues in the United States, Europe, and Japan; he has led bands at many major venues in New York, The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and major festivals in UK, Spain, Sweden, and Portugal.

 

Bruce has been a member of the Terell Stafford Quartet for more than fifteen years, recording and performing extensively with this dynamic group.  He has also had extended collaborations with Steve Wilson, Luciana Souza, Steve Nelson, and Tony  Bennett; and has performed with James Moody, Phil Woods, Freddie Hubbard, Tim Armacost, Tom Harrell, Luis Bonilla, Rene Marie, and Branford Marsalis, and Adam Kolker.

 

His new trio recording, “Dedication,” is due in September 2022 on Origin Records. It is a heartfelt tribute to Bruce’s long-time drummer, the late Montez Coleman, George Floyd, Tommy Flanagan, and McCoy Tyner. It features Montez and Vicente Archer on bass, and contains all original compositions by Bruce.

 

Finally, Bruce is a dedicated teacher.  He has been on the faculty of Temple University for more than twenty-five years. He also teaches at Columbia University, and has given master classes around the globe.

 

Recent Recordings:

 

Dedication  Origin Regords, 2022

Family Feeling  BCMD Records, 2019,

featuring Terell Stafford, Tim Warfield, and Dick Oatts

Sunday  Blau Records, 2018, featuring Jerry Bergonzi

Daybreak  Savant, 2014 (#1 on Jazz Radio Chart)

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