Ross Garren, a Los Angeles resident, is a senior studying classical compostion and jazz piano performance at USC’s Thornton School of Music, where he is a Presidential Scholar and a member of the Thematic Option Honors Program. His accolades include having won numerous awards from both the ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Competitions and Downbeat Magazine’s Student Music Awards, as well as having garnered recognition for his skills as a pianist from such organizations as IAJE and the Monterey Jazz Festival. Musicians that have had a great influence on his compositional concept include Erica Muhl, Donald Crockett, Tamar Diesendruck, Russell Ferrante, Vince Mendoza, Shelly Berg, Alan Pasqua, and David Fick. As a performer, Ross has played many prestigious venues including the Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Umbria Jazz Festival, IAJE Convention, Montreal Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, the Jazz Bakery, and Catalina’s Bar and Grill. He has organized and composed music for a number of interesting projects including a contemporary, improvisational look at the music of Debussy, Ravel, and Bartok, a chamber jazz ensemble (violin, cello, tenor sax, soprano sax, piano, bass, drums, and vioce), and numerous pieces for big band, standard jazz ensembles, and concert works for various instrumentation. In addition to his work as a pianist, Ross is quite active as a harmonicist. He has done transcriptions, designed courses, and taught workshops for the Harmonica Masterclass Workshop, taking him around the country as a lecturer. He has been lauded by Toots Theileman, and his performane credits include on-stage performances with Charlie Musselwhite, James Cotton, Lee Oskar, Mark Hummel, and Sonny Jr. Additionally, Ross performs on upcoming releases by Flamenco guitar virtouso Adam Del Monte, Nate Trosky, and award-winning actor Terrence Howard. Ross is also a featured composer on the debut album of the Blue Rose Trio, scheduled for release in February 2008, where his work, First Time Out, is featured alongside works by Philip Glass and Michael Nyman.
hey! hope you are well, just passing through to let you know that we'll be playing @ HOTEL CAFE on Feb.16//10pm//21+ in Hollywood on tour! come through and get your dance on at one of our stops!!
i don't know about time of my life, but i am having fun. i am going up to montreal to stay with hans for a little while too. i will be back on the 9th of July, we must hang and make music together in the same place at the same time.
Sat. April 12th my band is coming to Santa Monica. But this time we need a crowd or the Temple Bar might not invite us back for weekends. so please come out to support the return to L.A. for Forrest Day. Thank you
