Warren Byrd, born January 24, 1965 is an Afro-Americanjazz pianist, vocalist and composer. He performs live and tours as a solo pianist and vocalist with, his own band: the , is co-leader with Jewish bassist and composer of the , with Dutch trumpeter and composer Saskia Laroo and her formations.
Biography
He was born in Hartford, Connecticut as the youngest of sixteen and started to sing in the church choir at age 4. He first started to play the piano at age nine and to compose piano two years later. His teacher piano and music theory was the church music director Thomassian Neely. He went to South Catholic High School and got lessons there from R. Lesie Childs. During his teens he got interested in theatre and performed with the . He graduated in 1983 from high school and earned a full scholarship Classical Voice at Hartt College of Music but abandoned his studies to pursuit jazz piano studies, primarily self-taught. Between 1983 and 1989 he continuied to perform in theatre and dance as actor and musician with the Performing Ensemble and the Hartford Contemporary Dance Ensemble, became a choir director at a Baptist Church in Hartford, worked with Nubian Nation from 1991 to 1993; with from 1989 till 1996; with Mike DiRubbo Quartet; with trombonist Steve Davis, . He worked as a sideman with Eddie Henderson, Archie Shepp, Javon Jackson, J.D. Parran, Houston Person, Roseanne Vitro, and with Hartford luminaries, such as Paul H. Brown, Nat Reeves, , and Mario Pavone. He placed in the top 25 of the 1999 Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition and was nominated for Advocate’s Best of Hartford Keyboardist 8 times between 1994 and 2002.
Discography
1998 Warren Byrd, David Chevan - Reckless DC Music 2000 Warren Byrd - Byrdspeak Productions 2000 David Chevan, Warren Byrd - Reckless DC Music 2004 Funk de Nite - J-5 Laroo Records 2011 Saskia Laroo & Warren Byrd - , Collaboration, A Tribute To Miles & Monk Laroo Records, Byrdspeak Productions 2014 Saskia Laroo Band - Live in Zimbabwe Laroo Records 2016 M.A. Bakker* Featuring Warren Byrd - Maarten Bakker
Performances
2019: Burundi, the Netherlands, Thailand, the US 2018: the Netherlands, the US, Vietnam, South Korea, the Netherlands, the US 2016: Belgium, China Tour, Croatia Tour, France, India Tour, Indonesia tour, the Netherlands, the US. 2015: Bangla Desh, Italy, India, Lithuenia, Poland, the Netherlands, Russia, the US 2014: Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, the US 2013: DR Congo, Thailand, the Netherlands, the US, Zimbabwe 2012: Mexico & Guatemala, Oman, US, the Netherlands 2011: Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Finland, India, the Netherlands, the US. 2010: Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Georgia, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Moldavia, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Thailand, the US. 2009: ao Bahrain jazzfest, France, India, Kuwait jazzfest, Netherlands, Oman, Quatar jazzfest, the US. 2008: Brazil, Germany, India, Moldavia, Netherlands, Poland,Russia, Singapore, Senegal, Taiwan, Ukraine, the US. 2007: Austria, Brazil, China, Croatia, India, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, South Africa, Swiss, Taiwan, Thailand, the US 2006: Belgium, Croatia, France, Italy, Germany, Nepal, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Swiss, the US. 2005: Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Indonesia, Japan, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Poland, Russia, Surinam, the US. 2004: China, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, India, Indonesia, Kuwait Jazz Festival, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland. 2003: Croatia, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia. 2002: Baltic States, Croatia, Curacao, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the US.
