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| The
Evolution of Style |
Childhood
Influences and Roots |
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Born
in Lorraine, France, Christian Jacob began playing classical
music at age 4 and became immersed in the music of Claude
Debussy and Maurice
Ravel, whose harmonic universe was influential
on jazz. "I was 9 or 10 when I discovered jazz,"
Christian reminisces, "and the very first thing
that appealed to me was the harmony, the chords. Later,
when I learned it was improvised, I couldn't believe
it. The first time I heard Oscar
Peterson, I kept going to the store
to order the part--of course I never received it."
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| "I've
always had perfect pitch, so I was known for hearing
anything and knowing the notes. However, although I
had a good solfege teacher, my training was not open
to improvisation.... |
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| It
was 'learn the piece, interpret it.' Even at that age
they would basically interpret it for you. In retrospect
that probably taught me what is the basic musical feel.
Later when I was in Paris [at the Conservatoire
National Superieur de Musique], my teacher,
Maestro Pierre Sancan,
worked on the transmission of your musical thought into
the arm." |
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Christian
continued to play jazz "as a hobby" during
his years of rigorous study, working in combos in Lorraine
and Paris, and began to develop a style. "Dave
Brubeck was my first discovery,"
he relates, "then Oscar
was a big step, another dimension. I could hear his
classical technique, but his personality was there too.
What he says, he means, and you can hear him having
so much fun doing it." |
| Coming
to America |
In
1978 Christian was one of the youngest students to
graduate with a First Prize from the conservatory.
He later studied at Boston's Berklee
College of Music. "I'd say the
first thing that shocked me when I arrived was that
I discovered I wasn't bad," he laughs. "I
began to concentrate 100 percent on jazz, on improvising
and building it slowly into something personal."
While
at Berklee Christian won a number of awards, including
the Oscar Peterson Jazz Masters Award, the Great American
Jazz Piano Competition and "Downbeat" magazine's
distinction as Top Collegiate Jazz Soloist. |
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Christian
joined the Berklee faculty after a 1985 graduation.
"Teaching jazz is an interesting question,"
Christian muses. "To me transcription is basic,
because you hear what's happening and try to do it." |
| "I'd
ask the student who he likes. If you're interested in
Monk, then transcribe Monk. I'd try to make the student
conscious of his strengths, and strip it away and see
what's left. Doing your own transcription, inventing
your own exercises is ten times more beneficial.
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Christian
toured with one of his mentors at Berklee,
Gary Burton,
from 1987 to 1989. He then joined ebullient big-sound
trumpeter Maynard
Ferguson's Big Bop Nouveau Band as
Music Director in 1990. He's spent much of the 90s writing
and arranging for Ferguson and it was this association
that brought about his 1st CD for Concord Records Maynard
Ferguson Presents Christian Jacob,
a trio recording with Peter
Erskine on drums
and John Patitucci
on bass. |
| Since
then, Christian and Swiss saxophonist Fritz
Renold started the group, the Bostonian
Friends. They write a new repertoire
every year for the Swiss
Youth Jazz Orchestra. |
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| Increasing
his involvement as an orchestrator after several performances
with the Bangkok Symphony
Orchestra, Christian joined with Renold
to write a suite for the 200th anniversary of the Helvetic
Constitution. This brought about a second project, written
and performed as a birthday gift for the King of Thailand.
Both pieces were sponsored by the Swiss government and
written for the Jazz 5tet and Symphony Orchestra. Both
The Helvetic Suite
and The Six Cycles
were released on CD. |
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In
2000, Christian took a group to Thailand
for an all night jam session with His
Majesty The King. "It was an amazing
life experience, and a great way to start the new century.
We played from 10pm until 8:30am. His Majesty never
got tired. He played alto sax, clarinet and trumpet." |
| In
recent years, Christian has concentrated on taking his
personal style to a new level with his recordings with
The Christian Jacob Trio.
He has also continued to tour and record with many of today's jazz legends; Flora Purim, Airto Moreira, Randy Brecker, Miroslav Vitous, Phil Woods and Bill Holman to name just a few. |
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| What's
Going on Now |
By the mid 1990’s Christian teamed up with vocalist Tierney Sutton, drummer Ray Brinker and bassist Trey Henry to record their first CD together, “Introducing Tierney Sutton”. The band became known for its sophisticated, refreshing arrangements, and the obvious musical joy they felt when playing together. They developed into a tightly knit group that recorded six critically acclaimed CDs for Telarc Jazz. “Unsung Heroes”, “Blue in Green”, “Something Cool”, “Dancing in the Dark”, “I’m With The Band” and “On the Other Side”. The later two were both nominated for a Grammy Award.
In the midst of his success with the Tierney Sutton Band, Christian released his third trio CD, this time on his own independent label WilderJazz. The 2004 release, “Styne & Mine”, is a tribute to the music of Jule Styne, and reached #3 in the jazz radio charts.
The success of “Styne & Mine” motivated Christian to record “Contradictions” in 2006. The CD pays homage and offers another look at the original compositions of renowned pianist Michel Petrucciani.
Due to the popularity of his recordings in Japan, (According to The Japan Times he is one of the best-selling foreign jazz pianists in Japan) Christian was invited to tour and record his first live trio recording there. The resulting CD “Live in Japan” was released in 2008 in the U.S. and reached #17 in the national jazz charts.
At present Christian Jacob continues to divide his time between his two bands (The Tierney Sutton Band and The Christian Jacob Trio) and arranging and composing for various artists. He continues to grow and transform with each project, always striving for something new.
So
check out the Tour Dates page and take an evening
out to enjoy some wonderful music.
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