JACK REILLY: BIOGRAPHY


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"Music is a great gift for everyone; it uplifts our spirits and brings joy to our lives."..


Jack Reilly-pianist-composerJack Reilly's life as pianist and composer has spanned 60 years. It began in 1946 playing a New Year's Eve gig with a drummer and has now blossomed into a major career.

Jack's jazz trio has performed in Europe, Wales, England, Canada, Alaska and all major cities in the United States.

Mr. Reilly frequently performs as soloist with Symphony Orchestra, Choirs, Chamber ensembles, Woodwind quintets, and String Orchestra, playing his own compositions.

He has served as Musical Director for David Frost's USA tour of "THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS" and spent twoyears as arranger/conductor/pianist for pop singer Gloria Loring. He conducted, performed and composed original music for an off Broadway production of Samuel Beckett's, “EH JOE”.

Jack has eleven CDs as leader in his portfolio and was an important ingredient at festivals and on the recordings by Sheila Jordan, and in groups lead by: JOHN LAPORTA, BEN WEBSTER, RAY STARLING'S NEW YORK NEOPHONIC ORCHESTRA and GEORGE RUSSELL'S NEW YORK BAND. He toured all the European festivals with Mr. Russell, ending with a week long gig at the Village Vanguard and a recording on SOUL NOTE.

He is the author of the critically acclaimed "The Harmony of Bill Evans" VOL. 1 and the newly released Volume 2, as well as several books of jazz piano arrnangements, all published by Hal Leonard, Inc.

Mr. Reilly, the composer, reveals the range, depth, variety and assessability of his talents and his life's purpose. See the COMPOSITIONS page for specific details for each work.

A partial list includes:

"ORBITALS", a piano concerto for jazz trio and symphony orchestra.
"FANTASY" for piano and woodwind quintet.
"THE LIGHT OF THE SOUL" an ORATORIO.
"REQUIEM MASS" for mixed chorus and jazz quintet.
"A DEATH IN THE FAMILY" for Soprano and Orchestra dedicated to HALL OVERTON and based on the poetry of his brother, Harvey.


"Given his history, his accomplishments, and his interests, Jack Reilly has made himself a melodious Renaissance man, and because of this is clearly an artist deserving of far wider recognition."

( -- Dave Nathan, All Music Guide.)

Jack Reilly's compositions also include Jazz Requiem (1968), Oratorio (1974), Chuang-Tzu - Theme and Eight Variations for Orchestra (1993), Concertina for Jazz Piano and Strings, Lullabys for Orchestra, Fantasy for Piano and Wind Quintet, Piano Sonata in D Minor, and Concerto for Harmonica and Strings, Green Spring Suite and many others. In 2001, his Piano Concerto Orbitals was premiered with the composer as soloist with the Keweenaw Symphony, as well as over 300 piano pieces.




JACK REILLY IS AN OFFICIAL STEINWAY ARTIST

Photographic montages by Keffier Adkins.

\\ All content and photgraphic images © Jack Reilly 2009


REVISED NOVEMBER 2011

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