Christian Jacob
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For the Minister of Civil Service of France, see Christian Jacob (French politician)
Christian Jacob is a lyrical jazz pianist who ranks among the top piano improvisers and accompanists working today. He has gained widespread exposure as musical director and performer with vocalist Tierney Sutton, although he has also maintained a substantial career as a solo artist and leader.
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[edit] Early years
Jacob was born in Lorraine, France on May 8th, 1958. A pianist by age 4, he was immersed in study of the French classics. Something of a prodigy, Christian had perfect pitch and natural talent. He did not discover jazz until age 10, but when he did, its improvised nature appealed to him immediately. Early influences were Dave Brubeck and Oscar Peterson. As a teen, Jacob studied under Maestro Pierre Sancan at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique in Paris. Later, he would teach piano at the Conservatoire National de Region in Metz.
In the early 80s, Jacob entered Berklee College of Music in Boston, and won many awards as a student, including the Joe Zawinul Jazz Masters Award, Oscar Peterson Jazz Masters Award, and Downbeat Magazine "Top Collegiate Jazz Soloist" before graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1985. Jacob then took a teaching position at Berklee.
During his years in Boston, he formed "Bostonian Friends," an important musical partnership with Swiss saxophonist Fritz Renold, which produced jazz recordings ("Starlight" 1996) and classical commissions ("The 6 Cycles" with the Thai Symphony Orchestra 1999, and "Helvetic Suite" 1998). Although having renounced the classical performing circuit for jazz, Jacob has however maintained ties with the classical world through projects such as these commissioned works. Renold introduced Jacob to the Swiss Youth Jazz Orchestra, for which he was an arranger and educator throughout the 90s. From 1992-1994 Jacob also served as Director in Residence of the "Orchestre Regional Jazz de Lorraine" in Nancy, France, and composed their inaugural commission.
[edit] Professional Years
Jacob left Boston to tour with vibist Gary Burton in the late 80s and then with Maynard Ferguson through 1992. Christian served as performer, writer, and arranger with Ferguson's band. This led to Ferguson producing Jacob's first piano trio record, a powerful debut featuring John Patitucci and Peter Erskine. Sidemen for his follow-up trio project "Time Lines" were Steve Swallow and Adam Nussbaum. Jacob developed material with a third trio featuring Miroslav Vitouš and Bill Stewart.
Jacob has extensive credits as a sideman, including Flora Purim, Terje Gewelt, Carl Saunders, Tom Garling, and others, but his most visible association has been as music director and pianist for Telarc recording artist Tierney Sutton. With bassist Trey Henry and Ray Brinker, Christian Jacob has helped the precision-pitched chanteuse claim well-deserved popularity.
[edit] Style
Christian Jacob's extensive classical training and his passion for French masters such as Debussy and Ravel are evident in his jazz work. His solos are marked above all by lyricism and conciseness, a certain economy of statement, and sensible restraint. Jacob will favor brevity, clarity and simplicity over pyrotechnic blather every time, an aesthetic which has bolstered his career as vocal accompanist. Critics seeking Keith Jarrett's untamed frontiers may despair at this modesty--yet packaging an effective solo in 32 bars (or within the additional choruses that Sutton generously offers the soloist) requires a special talent. Listeners left wanting lengthier statements need only seek the trio records.
Jacob is one of the few jazz pianists working today (along with Kenny Werner, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, or Franck Amsallem for example) whose every (and any) striking of the key is a supple gem of tone. Notes ring with clarity; the piano keys are not "pressed" but rather "struck" with a dead force technique that Werner calls "effortless." This attention to tone is relatively rare among jazz pianists and is usually only present in pianists with formidable classical training.
