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After a 40-year long career that has seen him excel as a leader, soloist, arranger, musical director, and accompanist for some of the most celebrated names in jazz and Latin music, Bill O’Connell can lay claim to a track record of challenging and artistic-diverse triumphs that few of his peers can match. As a recording artist, his 13 dates as a leader have drawn universal critical acclaim while his talents as a pianist and arranger have been tapped by a diverse range of noted soloists to elevate their sessions. Today, as both a respected educator and leader of The Latin Jazz All-Stars, O’Connell’s professional life brims with new opportunities to express and fulfill his singular music vision.
O’Connell was born in New York City on August 22, 1953. After high school, he studied classical piano at Ohio’s famed Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Returning to New York, he was drawn to and became quickly immersed in the heady Latin jazz and salsa scene that was flowering in the city in the 1970s. His first big break came when he joined Cuban conga player and bandleader Mongo Santamaria’s Latin jazz group in 1977 as keyboardist. Working with the legendary conguero for two years afforded the young pianist the opportunity to hone the three attributes he would emphasize throughout his career – composing, arranging, and playing. His time with Santamaria also resulted in the first of O’Connell’s many recordings on two LPs for the Vaya label, Amanacer and Mongo ala Carte – essential albums that are today coveted by collectors of vintage Latin jazz vinyl. Another rarity, and further documentation of his involvement in the avant-garde of Latin music at the time, was Jasmine (West 54), an LP by a quartet of the same name that featured Roger Rosenberg on baritone sax.
“Most of my contemporaries didn’t go down this path,” the pianist reflects, commenting on his experience with Santamaria and, in following decades, many other Latin jazz music greats. “But I saw the beauty in this music and it touched me on both an emotional and intellectual level,” he adds. “So, four decades later, here I am.”
Although he quickly established himself as an in-demand keyboardist and arranger on New York City’s vibrant Latin music circuit, O’Connell didn’t forsake his passion for straight-ahead jazz and chalked up engagements with such hallowed improvisers as Sonny Rollins, Chet Baker, Gato Barbieri and Emily Remler. With the late bassist Charles Fambrough he enjoyed a long working relationship that produced four recordings, including two high profile projects for the famed CTI label, The Charmer (1992) and Blues at Bradley’s (1993). The pianist displayed his versatility by-way-of accompanist roles for several leading jazz vocalists, resulting in four albums with Jon Lucien, two with Janet Lawson, one with Nnenna Freelon and performances backing Kenny Rankin. Gigging with storied bossa nova singer Astrud Gilberto produced a deep understanding of Brazilian music idioms that he often appropriates for his arrangements. All the while, O’Connell continued to polish his Latin chops, performing with such idiom luminaries as trumpeter Jerry González’s Fort Apache Band and trombonist Papo Vázquez.
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Bill O'Connellpiano
7
Album Review
Bill O'Connell: Live In Montauk
by Richard J Salvucci
A rhythm section which includes Santi Debriano and Billy Hart is nothing if not part of a potential dream band. In Craig Handy, one finds a post-bop saxophonist who played with virtually everyone worth hearing over the last third of the twentieth century. For a variety of reasons pianist Bill O'Connell may be a little less well known outside the jny:New York City metropolitan area, but his signal contributions to Latin jazz with Dave Valentin, Jerry Gonzalez and Mongo Santamaria ...
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23
Album Review
Bill O'Connell: Live In Montauk
by Jack Bowers
After years of gigging in the New York City area, while honing his credentials as a first-call contemporary jazz pianist, Bill O'Connell and his family moved to Montauk, the easternmost point on Long Island, where he expressed his appreciation of the area's many wonders by recording this impressive album at the celebrated Gosman's Dock, during the annual Hamptons Jazz Festival in August 2021. It is essentially a quartet date with trumpeter Randy Brecker sitting in on two numbers, ...
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3
Radio & Podcasts
Highlights from the 20th Annual Five Points Jazz Festival
by Steven Roby
On Backstage Jazz, you'll hear a blend of contemporary and classic jazz and a touch of soul, funk, and world music, all selected by music journalist and host Steven Roby. This week's two-hour show features highlights from the 20th Annual Five Points Jazz Festival in Denver, CO. You'll also hear comments from attendees and others associated with the event--featured guests: JoFoke (Same Cloth), Stafford Hunter, Bill O'Connell, and MaryLynn Gillaspie. ...
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35
Album Review
by Jack Bowers
Although Andrea Brachfeld's may not be a household name, the versatile flutist and composer has been a well-established and respected presence on New York City's jazz and Afro-Cuban scenes since around 1970. On Evolution, her tenth recording as leader, Brachfeld delves musically into children's issues and the ongoing need [for] basic necessities even in the best of times," using her time for reflection during the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020-21 to find focus and creativity from the ways in which children ...
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13
Album Review
Andrea Brachfeld: Evolution
by Jane Kozhevnikova
Andrea Brachfeld is a critically acclaimed flutist, composer and educator. She has won multiple awards, including a grant from Chamber Music America and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and was once recognized as the best jazz flutist by Hot House magazine. Evolution features Brachfeld's longtime collaborators Bill O'Connell (piano), Harvie S (bass) and Jason Tiemann (drums). While Brachfeld's previous album, Brazilian Whispers (Origin Records, 2020), focused solely on a Brazilian music sound palette, in Evolution she brings listeners ...
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36
Album Review
Bill O'Connell: A Change Is Gonna Come
by Jack Bowers
Pianist Bill O'Connell, who has been at the top of his game for more than four decades with no signs of slowing down, says each of his albums is a snapshot of how he is feeling at a particular time in his life. A Change Is Gonna Come expresses O'Connell's frame of mind after enduring more than two years of the Coronavirus pandemic. By and large, the mood is optimistic, underscoring his belief that the worst of the pandemic could ...
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6
Album Review
Santi Debriano: Flash of the Spirit
by Paul Rauch
Bassist/composer Santi Debriano has been prominently on the scene since the late seventies, when he worked for several years with saxophonist Archie Shepp. Born in Panama, and raised in Brooklyn from a very young age, his life was integrated with the many crosscurrents of jazz music in the Americas. He worked prominently with Sam Rivers in Paris for a few years, before heading back to New York to perform with the likes of Pharoah Sanders, Sonny Fortune, Larry Coryell, Freddie ...
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1
Recording
Bill O'Connell New Release 'Live In Montauk' (Savant Records) Featuring Randy Brecker, Billy Hart, Craig Handy And Santi Debriano! Release Date: June 23rd
Source:Scott Thompson Public Relations
Montauk—the easternmost point of Long Island—has enjoyed a reputation as an idyllic land of the lotus and poppy but now is fully woven in to the Hamptons summer scene. The charms and views associated with that coastal existence served as a backdrop for the creation of this recording. Notable for a number of reasons—as the first live band date in a lengthy discography, and a first on-record meeting with drumming icon Billy Hart—this Bill O’Connell session stands out. Recorded live ...
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5
Recording
Source:Scott Thompson Public Relations
A central figure of jny: New York City’s jazz & Afro-Cuban scenes over the last five decades, flutist Andrea Brachfeld, like most artists over the last two years, found a great amount of time to reflect on their art, community and humanity. For Evolution, Brachfeld’s writing was affected by her dive into children’s issues and the ongoing need of basic necessities even in the best of times. The added pandemic led her to a wide-range of musical sources, each reflecting ...
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65
Performance / Tour
Album of the Week: Triple Play Plus Three, Bill O'Connell
Source:The Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz
Bill O'Connell Triple Play Plus Three Zoho Music
More than any other context in jazz, the art of trio performance is dictated immensely by the involved musicians. The basic formation of three musicians provides a perfect balance of structure and freedomthere's just enough people to keep everyone focused upon form and style while the sparse setting leaves ample room for improvisation. The balance can sway depending upon the musicians's personalities, which keeps things interesting. An artist ...
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104
Recording
New York Latin Jazz Pianist Bill O'Connell Releases "Triple Play Plus Three" on Zoho Records.
Source:Two for the Show Media
New York Latin Jazz pianist Bill O'Connell's Triple Play Plus Three" is an innovative spin on the traditional jazz trio format, featuring percussionist Richie Flore and a rotating cast of celebrity guestsall multiple GRAMMY winnersclarinetist Paquito D'Rivera, vibraphonist Dave Samuels, and flutist Dave Valentin. Triple Play Plus Three" presents eight lively, virtuosic O'Connell originals, plus two 20th century classics by Thelonius Monk ('Round Midnight") and Kurt Weill ("Speak Low"). Thelonious Monk's signature composition 'Round Midnight, has been totally re-harmonized by ...
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194
Performance / Tour
Bill O'Connell's Triple Play Coming to the Jazz Standard - June 17th, 2008
Source:Two for the Show Media
Pianist & Composer Bill O'Connell will be performing with his Triple Play Trio (featuring Dave Valentin) at The Jazz Standard in New York on Tuesday July 17th, 2008. The performance is in celebration of his new Savant Recording Triple Play" - Set Times are 7:30 PM & 9:30 PM Bill O'Connell's Triple Play: Bill O'Connell - piano Dave Valentin - flute Anthony Carrillo - percussion Bill O'Connell Triple Play Jazz Standard - ...
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277
Performance / Tour
Source:All About Jazz
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Peter Rushing
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Music
- Recent Releases
- Free Song(s)
Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson
Do Nothing till You Hear From Me
From: Live In Montauk
By Bill O'Connell
What's Up
From: Evolution
By Bill O'Connell
The Unraveling of it All
From: Evolution
By Bill O'Connell
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Last Updated: August 19, 2023
Bill O'Connell
Instrument: Piano
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