Kim Pensyl is an American pop-jazz and

new-age music New-age is a genre of music intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation technique, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management to bring about a state of ecs ...

keyboardist. He attended Ohio State University, and the University of California, Northridge for graduate school and had several CDs produced by

Shanachie Records Shanachie Records is an American, New Jersey-based record label, founded in 1975 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. The label is named for the Gaelic word ''seanchaí'' (anglicised as shanachie), an Irish storyteller. It was previously distribu ...

. He has worked in bands with

Al Hirt Alois Maxwell "Al" Hirt (November 7, 1922 – April 27, 1999) was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million-selling recordings of "Java" and the accompanying album '' Honey in the Horn'' (1963), and for the them ...

Don Ellis Donald Johnson Ellis (July 25, 1934 – December 17, 1978) was an American jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer, and bandleader. He is best known for his extensive musical experimentation, particularly in the area of time signatures. Later in his lif ...

Hubert Laws Hubert Laws (born November 10, 1939) is an American flutist and saxophonist with a career spanning over 40 years in jazz, classical, and other music genres. Laws is one of the few classical artists who has also mastered jazz, pop, and rhythm- ...

Gerald Wilson Gerald Stanley Wilson (September 4, 1918 – September 8, 2014) was an American jazz trumpeter, big band bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. Born in Mississippi, he was based in Los Angeles from the early 1940s. In addition to being a ...

, and

Guy Lombardo Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was an Italian-Canadian-American bandleader, violinist, and hydroplane racer. Lombardo formed the Royal Canadians in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert and Victor, and othe ...

. He is part of the Jazz Studies Department faculty at the College-Conservatory of Music (part of the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

Career

Kim Pensyl is a musician, composer, and arranger who has twice been named one of Billboard’s Top-20 Contemporary Jazz Artists of the Year. A pianist and trumpeter, he has had four Top-10 albums on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart. He has recorded with jazz artists such as Toots Thielemans, and modern musicians like Joey Calderazzo, Bob Mintzer, Chiele Minucci, Andy Narell, Will Kennedy, Steve Rodby, and Alex Acuna. He has performed at jazz venues such as The Blue Note, Blues Alley, Caravan of Dreams, Scullers, Beacon Theatre, and Great American Music Hall. He has also appeared at the Clearwater Jazz Festival, Sunfest, Summerfest, Stone Mountain Jazz Festival, and Pacific Jazz Festival among others. Also, Kim has toured with the Woody Herman Orchestra and Acoustic Alchemy. He has more than 100 published works recorded and over 150 compositions and arrangements in his catalog. Kim is currently teaching jazz studies at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. He is the featured artist in the WJZA Smooth Jazz Trio around Central Ohio and also performs at various clubs and concerts. In addition, he performs with the faculty and guest artists at CCM, such as

Arturo Sandoval Arturo Sandoval is a Cuban-American jazz trumpeter, pianist, and composer. While living in his native Cuba, Sandoval was influenced by jazz musicians Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1977 he met Gillespie, who became his ...

, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Mulgrew Miller among others, along with several big bands in the Cincinnati area.

Discography

* 1988 ''Pensyl Sketches #1'' * 1989 ''Pensyl Sketches #2'' * 1989 ''A Kim Pensyl Christmas'' * 1990 ''Pensyl Sketches #3'' * 1992 ''3 Day Weekend'' * 1993 ''Eyes of Wonder'' * 1994 ''When You Were Mine'' * 1996 ''Under the Influence'' * 1997 ''Quiet Cafe'' * 1999 ''Places I've Been'' * 2002 ''At the Moment'' * 2004 ''Solo Sketches October'' * 2008 ''When Katie Smiles'' * 2010 ''On the Horizon'' * 2012 ''Foursight'' * 2015 ''Foreign Love Affair'' * 2015 ''Early Snowfall''

References

External links

All Music 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 databas ...

Myspace page

Kim Pensyl Homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pensyl, Kim Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American pianists American jazz pianists American male jazz musicians American male pianists California State University, Northridge alumni New-age musicians Ohio State University alumni Optimism Records artists University of Cincinnati faculty