Jonah Cristall-Clarke

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jonah Cristall-Clarke is a Canadian jazz pianist and arranger. His style is marked by innovative harmonies, but always conveys a personal warmth and congeniality. Cristall-Clarke is a master of understatement, and his work is noteworthy for it's maturity and philosophical insight.

1 Education
2 Performance
3 Reviews
4 Partial Discography

[edit] Education

Jonah Cristall-Clarke began piano lessons in 1990 in Peterborough, Ontario. His principal teachers and mentors were Rob Phillips and Fredrick Pritchard. In 1999 he formed a jazz trio. Winning multiple awards and scholarships, he continued his studies at University of Toronto, taking a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Performance. There he was awarded the Margaret E. Read Jazz Scholarship, the Music Alumni Award, and the Don Wright Scholarship for arranging. He studied privately with jazz pianists David Restivo, Gary Williamson and David Braid, and participated in Terry Promane's Jazz Arranging Class, which was pivotal in Cristall-Clarke's career. Cristall-Clarke continues to study Classics and Musicology with Fredrick Pritchard.

[edit] Performance

Cristall-Clarke has performed at Roy Thompson Hall, and on multiple occasions at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival, The Toronto Jazz Festival, the Markham Jazz Festival, the Barrie Jazz Festival, the Lakefield Jazz Festival, and the Ontario Science Centre, in a concert recorded for Jazz FM CJRT-FM (Toronto Radio).

As well as performing regularly with jazz combos, Cristall-Clarke leads a nine-piece band, Nonet, which showcases his jazz arrangements and compositions. Nonet has recently appeared at the Distillery Jazz Festival, the Rex and the Dominion on Queen.

[edit] Reviews

"Cristall-Clarke was...impressive for his modernity of musical thinking. We'll be hearing more from a few in particular, specifically...Cristall-Clarke." (John Kelman, [1], Ottawa International Jazz Festival, July 2, 2005)

"As a jazz pianist and arranger, Jonah Cristall-Clarke exhibits impressive amounts of maturity. He has a gift for discerning quality music as he chooses his repertoire from 90 years of popular song, to express his quiet and competent voice." (David Braid)