Bill Gerhardt
Bill Gerhardt is a composer, pianist, educator, and
artist in residence at Snaggy Mountain Musicians Retreat near
Asheville, North Carolina.
Born March 10th 1962 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Surrounded by a
family of artists, writers and musicians, it was natural that he would
devote his life to music. At age nine he began studying with Mary
Travis, then with Herb Drury in Saint Louis. He attended University of
North Texas but left after one and a half years to perform on the road.
Gerhardt's travels eventually led him to become an expatriate and he
made Amsterdam his home for a decade. He has performed on four
continents with some of the most gifted musicians on the planet. Upon
returning to the USA, he lived in NYC for five years before relocating
to Asheville, North Carolina. He was co-founder and Vice President of
the non profit Jazz Composers Forum from 2001-2009.
Bill has performed or recorded with many diverse artists such as Sheila
Jordan, Billy Hart, Dave Douglas, David Liebman, Ben Allison, Benny
Bailey, Jeff Ballard, Leonard Gaskin, Tom Harrell, Billy Higgins,
Francois Moutin, Tony Moreno, Joe Locke, Ingrid Jensen,
George Mraz, Idris Muhammad, Emily Remler, Roswell Rudd, Gary Thomas,
Ron Horton, Michael Blake, Tony Malaby, Marc Mommaas, and Steve Wilson.
As a composer, Gerhardt has always written from early childhood. It
wasn't until he co-led a band in Charlotte, NC that his gift for
writing began to take the forefront. In 1988 he was awarded prizes at
Down Beat Magazine's Musicfest.
His work is documented on recordings available on many independent
labels including four releases for SteepleChase in Copenhagen, Denmark.
“Bill Gerhardt is a wonderful pianist. Not only is he a great soloist
and composer, he sure knows how to accompany a singer!” - Sheila Jordan
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