Billy White — jazz pianist & composer

★★★ “White’s intent was to showcase his prowess as a composer. He’s quite good, in this regard.”— Eric Fine, DownBeat, March 2011
“One of the year’s most impressive debuts.”— San Francisco Chronicle, September 2010
“…rife with exciting compositions and strong group interplay.”— Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz, December 2010
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Music

Selected recordings & live sets.

First Things First — album cover

Debut album

First Things First

Porto Franco Records · 2010

Modern-jazz originals for trio and quintet — featuring Ambrose Akinmusire, Dayna Stephens, Yunior Terry & Yaala Ballin.

Watch — YouTube playlist

Selected Works — Orchestral & Chamber

Arrangements and original compositions for concert forces.

“Cheek to Cheek” (I. Berlin) Arr. Billy White · Bear Valley Orchestra · feat. Kalil Wilson
“Out of This World” (H. Arlen) Arr. Billy White · Bear Valley Orchestra · feat. Kalil Wilson
String Quartet Composed by Billy White

Full catalog on SoundCloud →  ·  More on YouTube →

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About

Billy White at the piano
“I love all kinds of music. But jazz is the one I’ll always return to — it’s so full of freedom, and of life energy.”Billy White

Billy White is a West Coast-based jazz pianist and composer whose path has been anything but traditional.

A San Francisco Bay Area native, he studied jazz piano at UCLA — on scholarship, under masters Kenny Burrell and Gerald Wilson — while earning a degree in ethnomusicology. Those years took him from a jazz/hip-hop group in Paris to the study of Gnawa trance music in Morocco, and into writing for film. He eventually settled in Brooklyn, where he leads his own trio and quintet.

His debut as a leader, First Things First (Porto Franco Records, 2010), drew national jazz-press praise for its compositions and group interplay — with a band featuring Ambrose Akinmusire, Dayna Stephens, Yunior Terry, and Yaala Ballin.

Based in
Brooklyn, New York
Instrument
Piano
Studied
UCLA Jazz · Ethnomusicology
Debut album
First Things First (2010)
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Shows

Upcoming & recent.

Billy White performing live with his quintet
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Press & EPK

Down Beat

March 2011

“White’s intent was to showcase his prowess as a composer. He’s quite good, in this regard.”— Eric Fine, ★★★ review of First Things First
Down Beat review of First Things First, March 2011 View the original

San Francisco Chronicle

September 2, 2010

“[Billy White] has assembled an expansive musical universe that draws on everything from traditional Chinese scales and hip-hop beats to Afro-Cuban rhythms and Moroccan Gnawa grooves. He celebrates the release of his CD First Things First, one of the year’s most impressive debuts, with a top-notch Bay Area band…”— Kimberly Chun & Andrew Gilbert, “Essentials: This weekend’s live music picks”
San Francisco Chronicle, September 2, 2010 View the original

All About Jazz

December 9, 2010

“…rife with exciting compositions and strong group interplay. … With music like this, it’s fairly certain that First Things First won’t be the last thing the jazz world hears from pianist Billy White.”— Dan Bilawsky, review of First Things First
All About Jazz review of First Things First, December 9, 2010 View the original
Listen to the music → Request the full EPK →
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Booking & Contact

For bookings, scoring inquiries, and press:

Email Billy
SoundCloud YouTube

More to hear

Songwriter playlist

Production playlist

Jazz playlist