Dan DeChellis (pianist) first came to the attention
of the jazz / improvised / new music world in 1996 with the release
of his solo recording debut "Shapes" on the Sachimay
label. This recording earned him immediate critical praise and
led to appearances throughout the Northeast. Since then DeChellis
has released five more CDs on Sachimay and has continued to increase
his reputation as one of today's busiest and most compelling improvisers.
He has performed as a soloist, leader and sideman at the Roulette
(NY), Knitting Factory (NY), The Middle East (Boston), Sculler's
Jazz Club (Boston), Harvard University, New Langton Arts (CA),
The Zeitgeist, ABC NO Rio, Autumn Uprising Festival, the Big Sur
Experimental Music Festival and as an organizer and performer
at New York's, Improvised and Otherwise Festival.
Most recently, DeChellis was nominated by his peers
as "Best Pianist" and "Best All-Around Performer"
at the Lehigh Valley Music Awards and last year, as a founding
member of the group, ThreeMonKs, he won "Best New Artist"
and "Best Live Jazz Performance". His current trio is
focused on original compositions and re-working of Pop and Jazz
standards.
Born October 14,1970, DeChellis grew up in Whitehouse
Station, NJ. He began piano studies at age five and quickly developed
interest in a diverse range of musical styles. From 1989 to 1997
DeChellis received his master's degree in classical piano. At
the New England Conservatory DeChellis worked closely with legendary
composer/pianist Ran Blake and improviser Masashi Harada. DeChellis
sites influences as diverse as Paul Bley, Brian Eno and the music
of Anton Webern.
DeChellis's music seeks to blur the boundaries between
contemporary classical and improvised music. Whether he is performing
solo or accompanied by electronics, voice and acoustic instruments,
he masterfully combines standard piano virtuosity with extended
technique and explosive bursts of energy. His recordings have
been reviewed in The Wire, Cadence, Signal to Noise and Keyboard
Magazine. Among the many fine musicians he has collaborated with
are: Gerry Hemmingway, Sabir Mateen, Daniel Carter, Dee Pop, Rueben
Radding, Ravish Momin, Ernesto Diaz-Infante, Jeff Arnal, Chris
Forsyth, Anita DeChellis, Brian Moran, Toshi Makihara, Masashi
Harada, Matt Hannafin, Bhob Rainey, Tatsuya Nakatani.
