Album Notes

Tamer (Piano/Vocals) earned his Bachelor of Music in Piano and a Masters of Arts in Teaching from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He pursued additional classical studies in Budapest, Hungary, studying harmony, solfège and conducting. As a vocalist, he has sung with the Choral Arts Society and Philadelphia Orchestra under the batons of conductors Riccardo Muti, Kurt Mazur, and Charles Dutoit.
After teaching music in the Lower Merion School District for five years, Tamer established Swamp Queen Music in 1997. His first CD, released in the fall of 1998, "Tamer ~ Unwanted Curtains", features his jazz trio, solo piano performances and original compositions. "Beginning to See the Light", released in spring 2002, also features original compositions, as well as Tamer's spins on classic jazz standards. Building on the foundation laid with "Unwanted Curtains", arrangements on "Beginning to See the Light" include piano solo, trio and sextet performances. Released in winter 2002, featuring exciting new arrangements of traditional holiday tunes, is "Let It Snow!"

Never forgetting his love of children, this skilled educator and musician married his talents to create THE JAZZ ASSEMBLY (www.thejazzzassembly.com), a one-of-a-kind participatory experience for elementary through high school students. He performs these Assemblies in conjunction with Young Audiences of New Jersey; Young Audiences of Eastern PA; and Peter Nero and the Philadelphia Pops' Jazz in the Schools Series. Tamer's efforts with THE JAZZ ASSEMBLY are instrumental in bringing understanding and appreciation of jazz and standards to the next generation of music fans. In June 2001 Tamer was honored with the formation of the Official Tamer Tewfik International Fan Club, with chapters currently in the US and Canada.

As a jazz pianist Tamer has played with Les Paul; Grover Washington, Jr.; Stanley Clarke; Eddie Gomez; and Trudy Pitts. As a cabaret artist and pianist he has performed at the ASCAP Songwriters Showcase; Brandy's Saloon; Cleopatra's Needle; Cool Mood; Don't Tell Mama; The Duplex; the Iridium Jazz Club; Key West Piano Bar; NBC's Rainbow Room; Odette's; Raw Space Theatre; Sam's Cabaret; Tavern Camac; The Townhouse; the Triad Theater; and Upstairs @ Red. His theater credits include roles in The Secret Garden; The Sound of Music; Amahl and the Night Visitors; Sunday in the Park with George; Into the Woods; and A Builder of Dreams, for which he performed both on stage and off, as actor/singer and arranger. He served as musical director for Montauk Theatre Productions' Always, Patsy Cline and The Show of the Century, in which he also performed. His original compositions have been heard in the theatrical productions Genesis; The Quiet Room, or What Happens When a Schizoid Ballerina Is Locked in a Room with a Duck; a cabaret based upon his work As Heard in The Quiet Room, in which Tamer was the featured artist; and Seascape with Sharks and Dancer, for which his score received the SpotlightOn/Sage Award for Best Sound Design.

An artist of international appeal, 2002 found him performing at the VIP Club and Casino in Moscow, Russia. Currently, Tamer travels throughout New York, Philadelphia and New Jersey, as educator or entertainer, with his trio or as a solo artist, sharing his great love of Jazz at every performance.