Dave Kikoski (born September 29, 1961) is an American

jazz pianist Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instru ...

and keyboardist.

Biography

Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Kikoski learned piano from his father and played with him in bars as a teenager. He studied at the Berklee College of Music in the early 1980s, then moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in 1985, touring and recording subsequently with

Roy Haynes Roy Owen Haynes (born March 13, 1925) is an American jazz drummer. He is among the most recorded drummers in jazz. In a career lasting over 80 years, he has played swing, bebop, jazz fusion, avant-garde jazz and is considered a pioneer of jaz ...

(from 1986),

Randy Brecker Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock, and R&B. Early life Brecker was born on No ...

(1986–88),

Bob Berg Robert Berg (April 7, 1951 – December 5, 2002) was an American jazz saxophonist. Biography Berg was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States. Berg started his musical education at the age of six when he began studying classical piano. He beg ...

(1988), and Billy Hart (1989). He has also played or recorded with

George Garzone George Garzone (born September 23, 1950) is a saxophonist and jazz educator from Boston, Massachusetts. Biography Garzone is a member of the Fringe, a jazz trio founded in 1972 that includes bassist John Lockwood and drummer Bob Gullotti. The ...

Barry Finnerty Michael Barry Finnerty (born December 3, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist, keyboardist, singer, songwriter, and arranger, known for his work as a touring and recording session musician for Miles Davis, The Crusaders, the Brecker Brothers, H ...

Red Rodney Robert Roland Chudnick (September 27, 1927 – May 27, 1994), known professionally as Red Rodney, was an American jazz trumpeter. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he became a professional musician at 15, working in the mid-1940 ...

, Craig Handy,

Ralph Moore Ralph Moore (born 24 December 1956) is an English jazz saxophonist. Early life Moore was born in Brixton, London, England. His mother was the dancer Josie Woods, and his father was in the US military. He spent his childhood in Brixton, and afte ...

Didier Lockwood Didier Lockwood (11 February 1956 – 18 February 2018) was a French violinist. He played in the French rock band Magma in the 1970s, and was known for his use of electric amplification and his experimentation with different sounds on the electri ...

, Joe Locke,

Olivier Ker Ourio Olivier Ker Ourio (born 1964 in Paris, from a family originally from Réunion) is a jazz musician of Breton ancestry known for playing Chromatic harmonica. He has worked with Bruce Arnold, Franck Amsallem, David Kikoski, and Annie Ebrel among ...

and

Mingus Big Band The Mingus Big Band is a 14-piece ensemble, based in New York City, that specializes in the compositions of Charles Mingus. It was managed by his widow, Sue Mingus, along with the Mingus Orchestra and Mingus Dynasty. In addition to its weekly Monda ...

. Kikoski won a 2011 Grammy Award with the Mingus Big Band for the Best Live Jazz Ensemble Album, "Live at the Jazz Standard". He also had a Grammy nomination with Roy Haynes for the "Birds of a Feather" CD. Kikoski has been a resident of Jersey City, New Jersey."The State of Jazz: Meet 40 More Jersey Greats"
''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to '' The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of ...

'', September 28, 2003, backed up by the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

as of September 27, 2008. Accessed September 15, 2017. "Dave Kikoski -- An invigorating pianist and composer, Kikoski lives in Jersey City."

Discography

As leader

with BeatleJazz

* ''A Bite of the Apple'' (

Zebra Zebras (, ) (subgenus ''Hippotigris'') are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: the Grévy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), plains zebra (''E. quagga''), and the mountain zebra (''E. zebr ...

, 1999) * ''Another Bite of the Apple'' (Zebra, 2001) * ''With a Little Help From Our Friends'' (Lightyear, 2005) * ''All You Need is Love'' (Lightyear, 2007)

with Opus 5

* ''Introducing Opus 5'' (Criss Cross, 2011) * ''Pentasonic'' (Criss Cross, 2012) * ''Progression'' (Criss Cross, 2013)

As a sideman

With Pe De Boi * ''Power Samba Band'' (

Arkadia Jazz Arkadia Records is an independent record label that was founded in 1996. The label was founded in New York City by Bob Karcy, who had been a manager for musicians and an independent record producer. The first release was Billy Taylor's ''Music Kee ...

, 1998) With Craig Handy * ''

Introducing Three for All + One ''Introducing Three for All + One'' is the second album led by saxophonist Craig Handy which was recorded in 1993 and released on the Arabesque label. Reception The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow said "The improvisations are explorative yet melo ...

'' (Arabesque, 1993) With

* ''True or False'' ( Evidence, 1986) * ''When It's Haynes It Roars!'' (1992) * ''Homecoming'' (Evidence, 1994) * ''Te Vou!'' (Dreyfus Jazz, 1994) * ''Praise'' (Dreyfus Jazz, 1998) * '' Birds of a Feather: A Tribute to Charlie Parker'' ( Dreyfus Jazz, 2001) – Grammy nominated * ''Love Letters'' (Eighty-Eight's, 2002) With Billy Hart * '' Amethyst'' (Arabesque, 1993) * '' Oceans of Time'' (Arabesque, 1997) With

Toninho Horta Antônio Maurício Horta de Melo (born December 2, 1948) is a Brazilian jazz guitarist and vocalist. In addition to composing and performing his own work, Horta has worked for many years as arranger or sideman for Brazilian artists such as El ...

: * ''From Ton To Tom'' (VideoArts Music, 1998) With Dave Lisik: * ''Bonnie and Clyde'' (

SkyDeck Music SkyDeck Music is a record label and print publisher. The label started in the United States in 2007 as Galloping Cow Records and has released albums by Seamus Blake, Luis Bonilla, Tim Hagans, Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra, Donny McCaslin, Dic ...

, 2017) With

* '' 623 C Street'' (Criss Cross, 1987) With

Pat Martino Pat Martino (born Patrick Carmen Azzara; August 25, 1944 – November 1, 2021) was an American jazz guitarist and composer. Biography Martino was born Patrick Carmen Azzara in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, to father Carmen "Mickey" ...

* '' Remember: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery'' (Blue Note Records, 2006) With Alexander Claffy * ''Standards: What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?'' (SMK Jazz, 2018)

References

*Mark Gilbert, "Dave Kikoski". '' Grove Jazz'' online. *

Discography Discography is the study and cataloging of published sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified music genres. The exact information included varies depending on the type and scope of the discography, but a discography entry ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kikoski, Dave American jazz pianists American male pianists People from Milltown, New Jersey Musicians from Jersey City, New Jersey Musicians from New Brunswick, New Jersey 1961 births Living people DIW Records artists Criss Cross Jazz artists 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Mingus Big Band members HighNote Records artists