Bill Anschell
Encyclopedia
Bill Anschell is a Jazz pianist
and composer
. He has recorded five CDs as a leader, and performed or recorded with a host of other top jazz players including Lionel Hampton
, Nnenna Freelon
, Tierney Sutton
, Russell Malone
, Richard Davis, Russell Gunn
, Ron Carter
, and many other greats. His original compositions and piano work are prominently featured on Freelon's Grammy Award
-nominated recording Shaking Free (Concord Records
) and her CBS recordings
Heritage and Listen. His own CDs have received extensive national airplay and critical acclaim. His compositions have appeared in film and television, including "The West Wing" and "The Wire."
and others. His concert credits include six European tours and five South American tours, involving over 100 performances ranging from the Nice Jazz Festival in France to the North Sea Jazz Festival
in Holland. Anschell has performed thousands of concerts in the United States, from the Monterey Jazz Festival
in California to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. His performances have been widely broadcast on radio and television including National Public Radio's JazzSet, hosted by Branford Marsalis
.
and Wesleyan University
and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a music degree from Wesleyan in 1982. At Wesleyan, he studied composition privately with Bill Barron
; and South Indian rhythmic theory with T. Ranganathan
. He later spent three years in Madison, Wisconsin, where he worked with legendary bassist Richard Davis
.
From 1989 to 2002 Anschell was based out of Atlanta. During his first three years there he served as Jazz Coordinator for the Southern Arts Federation, creating a host of regional projects including JazzSouth, a syndicated radio program broadcast on more than 200 stations around the world. Anschell left the SAF Jazz Coordinator post in 1992 to focus on his performing and composing career, but continued to produce JazzSouth through 2002. From 1992 to 2002, Anschell's trio appeared in leading events across the Southeast, including the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, the Atlanta Jazz Festival, and Piccolo Spoleto. In 2001, he was selected by the American Composers Forum for its “Composer-in-the-Schools” program; his residency included a commissioned piece for chamber orchestra.
In 2002 Anschell moved from Atlanta to Seattle, Washington where he performs with both local and visiting jazz legends. In February 2006 he won the "Northwest Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year" Golden Ear Award (Earshot Jazz
), and in January 2007 his trio received a Golden Ear as the "Northwest Acoustic Jazz Ensemble of the Year." In January 2011 he was again named "Northwest Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year."
Anschell released his debut album, Rhythm Changes, in 1995 (Consolidated Artists Productions), and was praised by reviewers for his composing, arranging, and piano playing on the disc. He appeared as the featured artist in the December, 1997 issue of Jazz Player magazine, which included a "play-along" CD of his original music.
Anschell's follow-up album, A Different Note All Together, was released in 1998 by Accurate Records. The album spent eight weeks in the top 50 for jazz airplay nationally, and was named by United Press International
(UPI) as one of the "10 Best" jazz releases of the year.
Anschell's 2001 album, When Cooler Heads Prevail (Summit Records
) is the first recording to feature him exclusively in the trio format. It spent eleven weeks on the national radio airplay charts, and received a full-page profile in JazzTimes
.
More to the Ear Than Meets the Eye, was released October 17, 2006 by Origin Records and was chosen by numerous critics and radio stations across the country for their "10 Best of 2006" lists.
We Couldn't Agree More, a July 2009 duo release with Idaho saxophonist Brent Jensen, "comes with about as high a recommendation as I can give an album," according to jazz critic Chris Robinson.
"Figments," Anschell's 2011 solo piano CD, featured abstract takes on a mixture of jazz standards and pop songs from the 1970s. Describing the project, allaboutjazz.com critic Dan McClenaghan wrote "Anschell stretches and bends the familiar melodies to near-breaking point, in turns ruminative, playful, dark, and sparkling... Figments: Bill Anschell alone and letting go, taking a risk that pays off nicely."
His musical compositions have been featured on several network and cable programs, including NBC
's The West Wing, FX's Damages
, HBO's The Wire
, and The Defenders
, and the soundtrack of the PBS
movie Old Settler. Many of Anschell's original compositions are published by LoveCat Music
.
Jazz piano
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 instrument's combined melodic and harmonic capabilities...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. He has recorded five CDs as a leader, and performed or recorded with a host of other top jazz players including Lionel Hampton
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy...
, Nnenna Freelon
Nnenna Freelon
Nnenna Freelon, , is an American jazz singer, composer, producer, and arranger. She has been nominated for five Grammy Awards for her vocal work, and has performed and toured with such top artists as Ray Charles, Ellis Marsalis, Al Jarreau, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Dianne Reeves, Diana Krall,...
, Tierney Sutton
Tierney Sutton
Tierney Sutton is an American jazz singer.A three-time Grammy Nominee for "Best Jazz Vocal Album" and "a selection by Jazzweek as Vocalist of the Year in 2005," Sutton was born in Wisconsin and was educated at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut and the Berklee College of Music in...
, Russell Malone
Russell Malone
Russell Malone is an essentially self-taught swing and bebop jazz guitarist. He began working with Jimmy Smith in 1988, and went on to work with Harry Connick, Jr. and Diana Krall throughout the 1990s...
, Richard Davis, Russell Gunn
Russell Gunn
Russell Gunn is an American contemporary Neo-bop jazz musician, known primarily for his trumpet playing and Grammy nominated recording, Ethnomusicology vol. 1....
, Ron Carter
Ron Carter
Ron Carter is an American jazz double-bassist. His appearances on over 2,500 albums make him one of the most-recorded bassists in jazz history, along with Milt Hinton, Ray Brown and Leroy Vinnegar. Carter is also an acclaimed cellist who has recorded numerous times on that...
, and many other greats. His original compositions and piano work are prominently featured on Freelon's Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-nominated recording Shaking Free (Concord Records
Concord Records
Concord Records is a U.S. record label now based in Beverly Hills, California. Originally known as Concord Jazz, it was established in 1972 as an off-shoot of the Concord Jazz Festival in Concord, California by festival founder Carl Jefferson, a local automobile dealer and jazz fan who sold his...
) and her CBS recordings
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
Heritage and Listen. His own CDs have received extensive national airplay and critical acclaim. His compositions have appeared in film and television, including "The West Wing" and "The Wire."
Performances
Anschell has performed in premiere jazz festivals and clubs throughout the United States and abroad, leading his band, the Bill Anschell Trio, and as pianist, composer and musical director for vocalist Nnenna FreelonNnenna Freelon
Nnenna Freelon, , is an American jazz singer, composer, producer, and arranger. She has been nominated for five Grammy Awards for her vocal work, and has performed and toured with such top artists as Ray Charles, Ellis Marsalis, Al Jarreau, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Dianne Reeves, Diana Krall,...
and others. His concert credits include six European tours and five South American tours, involving over 100 performances ranging from the Nice Jazz Festival in France to the North Sea Jazz Festival
North Sea Jazz Festival
The North Sea Jazz Festival is an annual jazz festival held each second weekend of July in the Netherlands at the Ahoy venue. It used to be in The Hague but since 2006 it has been held in Rotterdam...
in Holland. Anschell has performed thousands of concerts in the United States, from the Monterey Jazz Festival
Monterey Jazz Festival
The Monterey Jazz Festival is one of the longest consecutively running jazz festivals. It debuted on October 3, 1958 and was founded by San Francisco jazz radio broadcaster Jimmy Lyons.-History:...
in California to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. His performances have been widely broadcast on radio and television including National Public Radio's JazzSet, hosted by Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis is an American saxophonist, composer and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ensembles and has led the group Buckshot LeFonque.-Biography:Marsalis was born...
.
Background
Anschell grew up in the Seattle area. He attended Oberlin CollegeOberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
and Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a music degree from Wesleyan in 1982. At Wesleyan, he studied composition privately with Bill Barron
Bill Barron (musician)
Bill Barron was an American jazz tenor and soprano tenor saxophonist.-Biography:...
; and South Indian rhythmic theory with T. Ranganathan
T. Ranganathan
Tanjore Ranganathan was a Carnatic musician specializing in percussion instruments, particularly the mridangam....
. He later spent three years in Madison, Wisconsin, where he worked with legendary bassist Richard Davis
Richard Davis
Richard Davis is an American jazz bassist who has been a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison since 1977. Originally from Chicago, he first became known in that city before establishing himself in New York City for twenty-three years. He teaches bass, jazz history, and...
.
From 1989 to 2002 Anschell was based out of Atlanta. During his first three years there he served as Jazz Coordinator for the Southern Arts Federation, creating a host of regional projects including JazzSouth, a syndicated radio program broadcast on more than 200 stations around the world. Anschell left the SAF Jazz Coordinator post in 1992 to focus on his performing and composing career, but continued to produce JazzSouth through 2002. From 1992 to 2002, Anschell's trio appeared in leading events across the Southeast, including the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, the Atlanta Jazz Festival, and Piccolo Spoleto. In 2001, he was selected by the American Composers Forum for its “Composer-in-the-Schools” program; his residency included a commissioned piece for chamber orchestra.
In 2002 Anschell moved from Atlanta to Seattle, Washington where he performs with both local and visiting jazz legends. In February 2006 he won the "Northwest Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year" Golden Ear Award (Earshot Jazz
Earshot Jazz
Earshot Jazz is a regional jazz non-profit organization in Seattle Washington. The organization publishes a free monthly journal in the Seattle area and hosts numerous jazz related events annually. The most prominent annual event is the Earshot Jazz Festival in October and November which started in...
), and in January 2007 his trio received a Golden Ear as the "Northwest Acoustic Jazz Ensemble of the Year." In January 2011 he was again named "Northwest Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year."
Original compositions and recordings
Anschell's follow-up album, A Different Note All Together, was released in 1998 by Accurate Records. The album spent eight weeks in the top 50 for jazz airplay nationally, and was named by United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
(UPI) as one of the "10 Best" jazz releases of the year.
Anschell's 2001 album, When Cooler Heads Prevail (Summit Records
Summit Records
Summit Records, Inc. is an internationally distributed record label that evolved out of the dynamic large brass ensemble, Summit Brass in the late 1980s...
) is the first recording to feature him exclusively in the trio format. It spent eleven weeks on the national radio airplay charts, and received a full-page profile in JazzTimes
JazzTimes
JazzTimes is a magazine that dates back to Radio Free Jazz, a publication founded in 1970 by Ira Sabin when he was operating a record store in Washington, DC. It was originally a newsletter designed to update shoppers on the latest jazz releases and provide jazz radio programmers with a means of...
.
More to the Ear Than Meets the Eye, was released October 17, 2006 by Origin Records and was chosen by numerous critics and radio stations across the country for their "10 Best of 2006" lists.
We Couldn't Agree More, a July 2009 duo release with Idaho saxophonist Brent Jensen, "comes with about as high a recommendation as I can give an album," according to jazz critic Chris Robinson.
"Figments," Anschell's 2011 solo piano CD, featured abstract takes on a mixture of jazz standards and pop songs from the 1970s. Describing the project, allaboutjazz.com critic Dan McClenaghan wrote "Anschell stretches and bends the familiar melodies to near-breaking point, in turns ruminative, playful, dark, and sparkling... Figments: Bill Anschell alone and letting go, taking a risk that pays off nicely."
Publishing, radio, and TV works
Anschell is also widely known for his work as a writer and producer. He has written reviews and feature articles for numerous arts periodicals and is the author of two books: Jazz in the Concert Setting, published by the Association of Performing Arts Presenters; and a manual for jazz grant-writing, Who Can I Turn To?, published by the Southern Arts Federation (SAF). He is the creator and producer of SAF's JazzSouth, an innovative radio program broadcast on more than 200 stations internationally from 1992–2002.His musical compositions have been featured on several network and cable programs, including NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's The West Wing, FX's Damages
Damages (TV series)
Damages is an American television drama series created by the writing and production trio of Daniel Zelman and brothers Glenn and Todd A. Kessler . It is broadcast in the United States on the DirecTV channel Audience Network after originally airing on FX and is produced by the creators' own...
, HBO's The Wire
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
, and The Defenders
The Defenders (2010 TV series)
The Defenders is a 2010 American legal comedy-drama that was ordered to series by CBS for the 2010–11 television season. The series originally ran from September 22, 2010 to March 11, 2011....
, and the soundtrack of the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
movie Old Settler. Many of Anschell's original compositions are published by LoveCat Music
LoveCat Music
LoveCat Music is a USA-based independent record company and music publisher, founded in 1999. It originally focused on independent rock — notably Evan Olson and Los Straitjackets...
.