New York City

Billy White

Pianist · Composer · Songwriter · Ethnomusicologist

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Bonus Materials

Behind the keys — rarities, demos & extras. Press the lettered keys above, or browse below.

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Unreleased Demos

Rough mixes and sketches straight from the studio.

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Improvisations

Solo piano improvisations and one-take experiments.

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Live at Smalls

Full sets and highlights from the club.

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Film Cues

Selected scoring reel and standalone cues.

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Field Recordings

Ethnomusicology field work and source material.

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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 New York–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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Work

Four threads of one practice.

Jazz & Music Direction

Leader of the Billy White Trio and Quintet — steeped in the tradition, built on original small-group writing. Bandmates have included Ambrose Akinmusire and Dayna Stephens.

  • Music Director · Keys 1R.E.S.P.E.C.T: A Journey Through the Music of Aretha Franklin — national tour (Right Angle Entertainment, 2023)
  • Music DirectorBilal (Grammy Award winner) · Maiysha Kai

Film & Media Scoring

Original music for film, television, and stage — atmosphere, theme, and texture built to picture.

  • Composer · Feature FilmBowling Blind — Jury Prize
  • Additional MusicPokémon feature film
  • Composer · Stage MusicalFinding Harlem
  • Composer · ConcertOrchestral works & string quartet (see Music section)
  • ComposerTelevision commissions

Songwriting

Songs as a craft of their own: melody, lyric, and arrangement for voice and band — with credits reaching from Brooklyn to Seoul.

  • Co-writerGirls' Generation (K-pop)
  • Co-writerBridget Barkan (Scissor Sisters)

Ethnomusicology

A UCLA degree and fieldwork — from Gnawa trance in Morocco to a jazz/hip-hop group in Paris — feeding a global musical vocabulary. Multi-instrumentalist on erhu, guembri, and marimba.

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Shows

Upcoming & recent.

Billy White performing live with his quintet
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Press & EPK

“It’s fairly certain that First Things First won’t be the last thing the jazz world hears from pianist Billy White.” Dan Bilawsky — All About Jazz
Listen to the music → Request the full EPK →

Debut album First Things First (Porto Franco Records, 2010) — reviewed in the national jazz press.

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Booking & Contact

For bookings, scoring inquiries, and press:

Email Billy
SoundCloud YouTube