Steve Barta

Grammy nominee Steve Barta is a pianist and composer known for his synthesis of jazz, Brazilian, and classical influences. A highly collaborative musician, in addition to his solo recordings, he's worked with numerous jazz ensembles and symphony orchestras and with artists spanning Al Jarreau, B.B. King, and Dori Caymmi, just to name a few. He made his solo recording debut with 1989's Rossport, following it with albums such as Barta (1991) and Blue River (1995), both featuring frequent collaborator Herbie Mann. The next decade brought the release of solo LPs including Another Life Brazil (2004) and a string of holiday releases in the global jazz tradition of Vince Guaraldi. Produced and written by Barta and Mark Oblinger for jazz ensemble and orchestra, Jumpin' Jazz Kids received a Grammy nomination in 2013 for Best Children's Album, and a recording of Barta's symphonic arrangement of Claude Bolling's Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio saw release in 2015. He collaborated with flutist Hubert Laws and guitarist Lee Trees on the Brazilian-inflected 2023 single "Ascended." Also a music educator, Barta has published books including The Source, was called on by Hal Leonard Publishing to arrange songs for piano for their popular Beatles songbook, and teaches at Colorado College. Born on Christmas Day 1953, Steve Barta published the enduring reference manual The Source: The Dictionary of Contemporary and Traditional Scales through esteemed music publisher Hal Leonard in 1986. His first solo album, Rossport, arrived in 1989. Named for a village in Ontario, Canada, it was an acoustic set featuring Barta on piano and Kim Stone on bass, along with occasional appearances by guitar, oboe, and flute, one of Barta's favorite instruments to work with alongside piano. Recorded in late 1990 and early 1991, the self-released Barta LP featured more conspicuous Brazilian influences, and accompaniment by flutist Herbie Mann, guitarist Bruce Dunlap, bassist Paul Socolow, and drummer Ricky Sebastian. It also included what would become a signature song of sorts, "Blue River." The solo piano album Moments in Movement followed in 1992, and three years later, he released the long-player Blue River. An upbeat mix of prior recordings and new ones, it added bassist Jerry Watts and guitarist Ricardo Silveira to his ensemble. The solo Follow Your Heart arrived before the end of the decade and included performances of works by Satie, Bach, and a previously unreleased Barta symphonic suite. After contributing to multiple volumes of The State Farm Holiday Collection (with Kim Stone, drummer Ronnie Shaw, and others), Barta's first release of the new millennium under his own name was the Christmas album Three Ships (2003). Featuring classics ranging from Schubert's "Ave Maria" to "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," it was recorded with Stone, drummer Russell Burnett, and flutist Paul Nagem. Following the live set Live at Home!, Barta's next album, 2004's Another Life Brazil, found him joined by percussionist Paulinho Da Costa and guitarist Dori Caymmi as well as by Mann, Watts, drummer Mike Shapiro, and, on vocals, Lee Trees. After that, he returned to holiday fare with 2006's Twelve Days of Christmas (with a string orchestra) and Christmas Around the World (with Deborah Henson-Conant, the Da Vinci Quartet, and Phil Volan and Chorale). Sponsored by a hospice, Together We Can Heal, a collaboration with Phil Volan, offered songs with a sensitivity for grieving. Before the end of the decade, Barta also delivered the solo piano albums Noël: A Musical Christmas Card and That Christmas Feeling (both accompanied by songbooks) and the covers collections Unstandards and Encore Unstandards, featuring lesser-known pieces by composers such as Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hart, Michel Legrand, and Burt Bacharach. In 2012, Barta and co-writer/producer Mark Oblinger released Jumpin' Jazz Kids, a narrative album arranged for jazz quintet and a full symphony orchestra. Narrated by James Murray and featuring Al Jarreau, Hubert Laws, and Dee Dee Bridgewater, it went on to receive a Grammy nomination for Best Children's album. Barta followed that with another ambitious project, a symphonic arrangement of Claude Bolling's Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio. With Laws on flute and Jeffrey Biegel on piano, it was released in 2015. Meanwhile, Barta joined the faculty of Colorado College, teaching jazz piano. As a recording artist, he resurfaced in early 2023 with the solo piano track "Standing Tree" and the Laws and Trees collaboration "Ascended."
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