Jeremy Manasia

A native of Staten Island NY, Jeremy began playing piano at the age of 7, after receiving a birthday gift from his godmother for a year of piano lessons. The lessons continued, and in 1985 he was accepted to the LaGuardia HS for Performing Arts. In his second year of high school he was placed in a jazz history course taught by Justin DiCioccio. Being exposed to jazz like this would prove to forever alter his life. Within two years he would perform at Carnegie Hall and Avery Fischer Hall with the NY All City Jazz Band and the McDonalds Tri State Jazz Ensemble, featuring artists such as Red Rodney, Arnie Lawrence, Steve Turre, and bandmates including Greg Hutchinson, Abraham Burton, Walter Blanding and Eric McPherson. In 1989, Jeremy attended the Manhattan School of Music, where he was introduced to a larger world of music and jazz through his teachers Harold Danko and Gary Dial. During this time he toured with the Ryan Kisor Quintet which featured, among others, Chris Potter, Ari Ambrose, and Dwayne Burno. After college Jeremy began regularly attending classes with jazz great Barry Harris, who connected him with the Royal Conservatory of Den Haag, where he received his masters degree and studied with Dutch jazz legend Franz Elsan. While in the Netherlands, he toured all over Europe and played on his first recording, the Deep, with the band Five Up High. In 1997, Jeremy returned to NYC to study more with Chris Anderson and Harry Whitaker. He soon become a regular on the NYC jazz circuit, where he has been ever since. Jeremy has performed with Jimmy Cobb, Peter Bernstein, Javon Jackson, Wayne Esscoffrey, Joe Magnarelli, Nneena Freelon, Diane Schur, and has recorded with the Charles Owens Quartet, the Greg Glassman/Stacy Dillard Quintet, David Gibson, John Boutte, Jane Monheit, and many others. Press Quotes: ”Long before his first release, I was never shy about expressing my affection and appreciation for Jeremy Manasia's work. Generally, the average layman isn't cognizant of the fact that, not only are musicians practitioners of the craft, we are also fans. You don't really see pianists sharing the stage; this means I have to make an effort to catch a Manasia set so I can truly appreciate his mastery...” ~ Eric S. Reed ”...we agree that is serious jazz coming from Manasia's trio. 'Jerry' really swings on piano on “You Do Something To Me” and even with more of a swagger on “Witchery”. These are young players coming together having played with more notable talent and now saying something on their own. Jeremy has four originals here as well and we're convinced that what he is saying is worth listening to!” ~ D. Oscar Groomes; O's Place Jazz Newsletter “It is impossible for me to take the long, long cab ride from JFK to Manhattan--up the Van Wyck to the LIE, past Corona Park to the Queensborough Bridge--as I do frequently in the course of my work, without the “Witchery” album playing in my head. Jeremy has created a magnificent soundtrack for the City! “ ~ RJ Jaimes; Torrance, CA Awards: Jeremy has been a finalist in the Thelonious Monk Competition ('99), the Great American Jazz Piano Competition ('99), and the American Pianists Association Jazz Piano Competition ('98 & '01). Winner of 2009 International Center for the Arts/SFSU "Generations 2nd Annual International Competition" for Emerging Jazz Combos with the Ken Fowser/Behn Gillece Quinte Jeremy is on faculty at the Manhattan School of Music, and has won a Presidential Scholars award, numerous Downbeat Student Music awards and three Charles Mingus Competition awards for his teaching.