Steve Holt (born 1954) 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 major ...

pianist.

Early life and education

Born in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, in 1954, Holt exhibited musical ability in early childhood, playing piano at the age of four. By the time he was a teenager, Holt was a regular on the Montreal club scene. Holt remained self-taught until he entered

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

. There, he was taught by pianist Armas Maiste, whose

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 ...

playing influenced him. Holt also became a student of

Kenny Barron Kenny Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist, who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era. Biography Born in Philadel ...

, traveling regularly to New York City for private lessons with the pianist. Holt graduated from McGill in 1981 with that university's first

Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of prescr ...

major in

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 major ...

Performance A performance is an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Management science In the work place ...

, and taught jazz improvisation there.

Later life and career

In 1983, Holt's debut album, ''The Lion's Eyes'', was released. It was nominated for a

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

. He has worked with jazz musicians

Larry Coryell Larry Coryell (born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III; April 2, 1943 – February 19, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist. Early life Larry Coryell was born in Galveston, Texas, United States. He never knew his biological father, a musician. He w ...

, Eddie Henderson, and

Archie Shepp Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz. Biography Early life Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...

. Holt moved to Toronto in 1987 and worked as an

equity analyst A financial analyst is a professional, undertaking financial analysis for external or internal clients as a core feature of the job. The role may specifically be titled securities analyst, research analyst, equity analyst, investment analyst, o ...

. For a time, he also continued playing clubs at night. Further albums were released in the 1990s: ''Christmas Light'' (1991); ''Just Duet'' (1992); and ''Catwalk'' (1994). In 1999, Holt returned to concentrating on music full-time. Three years later, his fifth album, ''The Dream'', was released. He then moved into music production, and stopped performing jazz live until 2014. Following a move to the countryside, his interest in jazz performance returned. In 2017, he opened a health food store in Warkworth, Ontario, that operates as a jazz venue once a week.

Discography

* 1983: ''The Lion's Eyes'' (Plug) * 1991: ''Christmas Light'' (Inner Music) * 1992: ''Just Duet'' ( Sackville) with Kieran Overs * 1993: ''Catwalk'' (Sackville) * 2001: ''The Dream'' (Trilogy) Singles * 2002: ''We Need You'' (Trilogy) * 2002: ''Just to Be With You'' (Trilogy) * 2003: ''Soon'' (Trilogy)

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holt, Steve 1954 births Living people Canadian jazz pianists Musicians from Montreal Post-bop pianists Jewish Canadian musicians Canadian jazz composers Male jazz composers McGill University School of Music alumni Canadian pop pianists Canadian singer-songwriters Canadian male singers Canadian financial analysts Anglophone Quebec people Canadian male pianists 21st-century Canadian pianists 21st-century Canadian male musicians Sackville Records artists Canadian male singer-songwriters