John Proulx

John Proulx is a young, sought-after pianist, vocalist, recording artist, and Grammy-winning composer in the Los Angeles area. Hailed as not only a first-rate pianist, John also sings like a young Chet Baker. John's debut CD, with legendary musicians Chuck Berghofer and Joe LaBarbera, was released on the Max Jazz label in 2006, and is receiving glowing reviews. In fact, he was invited to be a guest on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz radio program on NPR in 2007. He is currently working on his second CD, a tribute to the late great Chet Baker, due to be released in the spring of 2009. Besides playing regularly with his trio, John has also played in the big bands of Mike Barone, Randy Aldcroft, Kim Richmond, and Frank Capp. John is also quickly establishing himself not only as a performer but also as a prolific composer. Jazz legend, Nancy Wilson recently recorded, "These Golden Years", a song cowritten with lyricist D. Channsin Berry, on her latest CD, “Turned to Blue”, on the MCG label. That album won a Grammy for "Best Jazz Vocal Album" in 2007. Nancy also chose to sing this tune at “An Evening of Stars, a UNCF tribute to Smokey Robinson”, that aired in January of 2008. John also wrote a song called, “Stuck in a Dream”, co-written with lyricist K. Lawrence Dunham, on Mary Stalling’s 2005 Half Note album entitled, “Remember Love”. John Proulx’s own debut album, produced by Tamir Hendelman, features another original tune entitled, “My Love for You”. John began his formal musical education at the age of 3 in Grand Rapids, MI on Suzuki violin, but quickly switched to classical piano lessons. His grandfather was a jazz guitarist who introduced him to the world of jazz. Hooked on the freedom of improvisation, his education took him to Chicago to study at Roosevelt University’s Chicago School of Performing Arts. He studied with Eddie Baker and Frank Carruso on piano and Jennifer Shelton-Barnes on voice. After graduation, John became adjunct faculty in jazz vocal instruction at Roosevelt University as well as the Assistant Director of Roosevelt’s vocal jazz group. He quickly became well-known in the Chicago jazz scene, playing at many of the local jazz clubs. In 2001, John moved to Los Angeles to further his musical pursuits. He has emerged as a young talent on the Los Angeles jazz scene and loves the wide-range of opportunities that Los Angeles has to offer. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.