Download File - Joel Weiskopf

Joel Weiskopf Biography
Pianist and composer Joel Weiskopf was raised in Syracuse, New York, where
he grew up studying classical and jazz piano and trumpet. He graduated with
honors from The New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied classical
piano with Thomas Stumpf and jazz piano with Jaki Byard and Fred Hersh. At age
24 Joel toured with and composed for the great big band leader Woody Herman.
Herman called Joel “One of the great young jazz musicians of our time”. While
with Herman, Weiskopf worked with jazz greats such as Stan Getz, Cab Calloway,
Quincy Jones, Maynard Ferguson, Buddy DeFranco, Major Holley, Al Cohn, Flip
Phillips and Anita O’day. After the year with Herman, while in New York, Joel
became a member of the bands of Jimmy Cobb and Gerry Mulligan, and also
performed with Clark Terry, Ray Brown, Hubert Laws, The Buddy Rich Band,
Larry Coryell, Mel Lewis and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Tom Harrell, Billy
Hart, Julius Hemphill, Walter Perkins, Teddy Kotick, Warren Vache, Dakota
Staton, Charli Persip, Rufus Reid, Carl Allen, John Patitucci, Brian Blade, Walt
Weiskopf, as well as many others. Joel was the co-winner of the 1989 Great
American Jazz Piano Competition and the recipient of a National Endowment for
the Arts Grant to study composition with composer Dary John Mizelle in 1995.
Weiskopf has taught jazz studies at The New School, New York University, Long
Island University, and is currently on the jazz studies faculty at New Jersey City
University. A Jewish believer in Jesus Christ, Joel's desire is to share the God's
love with others using the medium of jazz. He has composed over 100 jazz and
gospel-jazz songs, many of which can be found on his four critically acclaimed CD
recordings for the Criss Cross Jazz label.