Album Notes

Three different great rhythm sections join Chuck Marohnic to offer a glimse into great jazz piano interaction and group improvisation. Chuck's reviews from Downbeat, Rolling Stone and many others have suggested that his trio playing "may set the standard for this decade". Rhythm section players include: Joe LaBarbera, David Friesen, Tony Moreno, David Phillips, Dwight Kilian and Dom Moio. This is one of 30 CDs that Chuck has recorded.

International Educator/Performer - Chuck has served as a visiting clinician and performer at festivals in Germany, Brazil and France. For five years he acted as Coordinator of Jazz Studies and a guest artist at the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival in Fairbanks, Alaska. In May of 1998, Chuck visited Brazil for a second time where he performed concerts and presented clinics for a week's residency. While in Brazil he recorded an instructional video for MPO entitled The Creation of a Solo Jazz Piano Arrangement. Chuck has also been invited to perform the Concerto with the Bulgarian National Youth Symphony Orchestra for a European tour in the Fall of 2000.

University Professor - Having retired in 2003, Chuck was the Director of Jazz Studies at Arizona State University since 1981. His former students include John Medeski of Medeski, Martin and Wood; Scott Henderson of Tribal Tech; Phil Strange, formerly with Joe Henderson; German pianist Klaus Ignatzek; Tim Ray, pianist for Lyle Lovett; and Joey Sellers, now a prominent arranger living in New York City.

Author, Arranger - Chuck has written 4 jazz publications. His books on jazz education include "How to Create Jazz Chord Progressions", "12 Keys to Jazz Concepts", "50 Practical Pro Tips", and "Jazz Keyboard Study" from Advance Music Publishers. In addition, Chuck has written jazz piano arrangements of familiar church hymns and worship and praise songs, taking them from inside church walls to the entire community. What started as a sabbatical leave project from his position as Director of Jazz Studies at Arizona State University, turned into a book entitled Sanctuary Jazz, (July 1998, Shawnee Press). Joseph Martin, acclaimed pianist and keyboard editor for Shawnee Press says, "Chuck is one of the best writers in the country today." Since this first book was published, Chuck as written eight collections of piano arrangements and three collections of brass quintet music for Shawnee Press and Morningstar Music Publishers.

Composer - The Jazzbird Foundation of San Diego, California commissioned Chuck to write a Concerto for Jazz Piano and Orchestra. The composition, entitled Desert Spirit, premiered with the Arizona State University Symphony Orchestra on March 8, 2000. In May of 2001 Chuck was invited to perform his concerto with the National Youth Symphony in Sofia, Bulgaria.