Pianist/composer Ted Rosenthal will release “High Standards” on March 21. It’s the first of four distinct new albums in the “Trio in 4 Acts” collection, which will be available over the next year via TMR Music.
“Trios in 4 Acts” is a collection with Rosenthal’s two working trios. All of the work was recorded in the summer of 2024. “High Standards” is a collection of standards he has been performing over the last few years.
“I love taking familiar music and finding new and creative ways to arrange and present it,” Rosenthal said. “The mix of the familiar with the surprising and unexpected is a great combination and fits the jazz improvisational spirit.”
“These standards come from different eras,” he said. “‘Lover Man’ and ‘Skylark’ are classic standards that are always worth revisiting. ‘Everything Happens to Me’ and ‘It Could Happen to You’ are two I love to play and make a good pairing with their evocative titles.
“Standards from the later Broadway period are less often played in jazz, but I loved arranging and ‘working out’ on ‘Jet Song,’ ‘Old Devil Moon,’ ‘To Life’ and ‘One.’ These arrangements all have rhythmic twists and turns that continue to sound fresh and keep us on our toes. ‘The Cup Bearers’ concludes the set — a jazz standard played by many of my jazz piano heroes,” he said.
Rosenthal is one of the leading jazz pianist/composers of his generation. He tours worldwide with his trio, as a soloist, and has performed with many jazz greats, including Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer, Phil Woods, Bob Brookmeyer and James Moody.
A winner of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition, Rosenthal has released 15 CDs as a leader. “Rhapsody in Gershwin,” which features his arrangement of “Rhapsody in Blue” for jazz trio, reached No. 1 in jazz album sales at iTunes and Amazon. “Wonderland” was selected as a New York Times holiday pick and received much critical praise. “Impromptu” showcased his re-imaginings of classical themes for jazz trio.
Rosenthal’s solo album, “The 3 B’s,” received four stars from DownBeat magazine. It features music of Bud Powell, Bill Evans and his improvisations on Beethoven themes.
A recipient of three grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Rosenthal regularly performs and records his compositions, which include jazz tunes and large-scale works. Rosenthal’s jazz opera, “Dear Erich,” was commissioned and premiered by New York City Opera in 2019. Since the premiere, Rosenthal has presented more than a dozen concert performances of “Dear Erich,” both in the U.S. and Europe.
Rosenthal has also been commissioned by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony and Dallas Black Dance Theatre.
“The Survivor,” his concerto for piano and orchestra, has been performed by the Manhattan Jazz Philharmonic and the Rockland Symphony Orchestra, with Rosenthal at the piano. Rosenthal premiered his second jazz piano concerto, “Jazz Fantasy,” with The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony.
Rosenthal was artistic director of jazz at the Riverdale Y and Jazz at Dicapo Theatre, both in New York City. He has also performed with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and Jon Faddis and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. In addition, Rosenthal has been the pianist of choice for many top jazz vocalists including Helen Merrill, Ann Hampton Callaway, Kurt Elling and Barbara Cook. He appeared on Marian McPartland’s “Piano Jazz” on National Public Radio and performed with David Sanborn on NBC’s “Night Music.”
Rosenthal’s orchestral performances include solo and featured appearances with The Detroit Symphony, The Phoenix Symphony, The Boston Pops, The Grand Rapids Symphony, The Rochester Philharmonic, The Pittsburgh Symphony and The Fort Worth Symphony.
Rosenthal received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. Active in jazz education, he is on the faculties of The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, where he also served on its Board of Trustees and received the Presidential Medal for Distinguished Faculty Service. Rosenthal has taught and mentored many of the leading jazz pianists of the younger generation. He presents jazz clinics throughout the world, often in conjunction with his touring. He was a contributing editor for Piano and Keyboard magazine and has published piano arrangements and feature articles for Piano Today, The Piano Stylist and The Juilliard Journal. Rosenthal is a Steinway Artist. For more information about Rosenthal, go to www.tedrosenthal.com.
