KEVIN BALES – musician, teacher, performer – is an accomplished pianist, with classical chops. At age 16 he was invited to audition for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, then under the direction of the famed conductor Robert Shaw.
While studying at the University of Florida in their jazz program he met, performed and toured with a number of jazz artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Louie Bellson, Eddie Daniels, Nat Adderley, and the fiercely individual saxophonist Bunky Green, who he toured with for five years. As a senior at North Florida he was drafted into a full teaching load, and continued to be an integral part of the school’s jazz program for over a decade. Today, Kevin manages his own jazz program in Atlanta, overseeing an ambitious schedule of students. Kevin finds teaching exhilarating, and helpful in his own playing.
Kevin has a long list of awards and a reputation as one of the finest jazz pianists performing anywhere. In addition to nearly every important jazz venue in the South, he has performed in some of the most acclaimed clubs and festivals in America and around the world: the JVC Festival in New York, The Bakery in Los Angeles, The Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center jazz series, the Toronto and Edinburgh jazz festivals and the Moscow Center for the Performing Arts.
His list of recordings is extensive and he is currently touring with well known jazz artist Rene Marie.
www.kevinbales.com
