Bernard Melvin Senensky (born December 31, 1944) is a Canadian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

pianist, organist, and composer.

Life and career

Senensky was born in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

, on December 31, 1944.Yanow, Scot
"Bernie Senensky"
AllMusic. Retrieved February 26, 2015. He had classical piano lessons from the age of nine and became interested in jazz at about 15.Hum, Peter (September 23, 2014
"The Bernie Senensky Interview"
Ottawa Citizen. He had one jazz teacher, and thereafter was self-taught. He moved permanently to Toronto in 1968. He played briefly with high-profile visiting musicians, including Chet Baker, Art Blakey, Art Farmer, and Art Pepper. Senensky played with

Moe Koffman Morris "Moe" Koffman, OC (28 December 1928 – 28 March 2001) was a Canadian jazz saxophonist and flautist, as well as composer and arranger. During a career spanning from the 1950s to the 2000s, Koffman was one of Canada's most prolific musician ...

between 1980 and 2000; they toured internationally for several years. Senensky has recorded several small group albums since 1975.Miller, Mar
"Senensky, Bernie (Bernard Melvyn)"
''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'' (2nd ed.). Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 22 May 2015. (Subscription required).

Playing style and influences

Senensky described himself as "essentially a

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...

player, and beyond. My heroes are anyone from Bud Powell to

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet (from 1960 to 1965) and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Master and five-time Gram ...

to Keith Jarrett and Herbie Hancock". Senensky was influenced on organ by

Larry Goldings Lawrence Sam “Larry” Goldings (born August 28, 1968) is an American jazz keyboardist and composer. His music has explored elements of funk, blues, and fusion. Goldings has a comedic alter ego known as Hans Groiner. Life and career Golding ...

Mike LeDonne Michael Arthur LeDonne (born October 26, 1956) is a jazz pianist and organist known for post-bop and hard bop. He has worked with Benny Golson since 1996 and performs under his own name all over the world. Early life LeDonne was born in Bridgepo ...

, and Larry Young. ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'' states that "His playing is characterized by his obvious comfort in a wide range of styles, from swing to the assertive post-bop of his own groups."

Discography

An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.

As leader/co-leader

Main source:"Discography"
AllMusic. Retrieved February 16, 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Senensky, Bernie 1944 births Canadian jazz pianists Hard bop pianists Musicians from Toronto Musicians from Winnipeg Living people 21st-century Canadian pianists