Chris Jarrett

American born composer and pianist Chris Jarrett has been based in Germany for a number of years. He composes and performs musc that has a unique character; this does not sound like anyone other than Chris Jarrett. His music utilizes the structures of classical music and the freedom of jazz improvisation. He combines his secure instinct for formal structures with the spontaneity of jazz. Great influences to be heard in his music come from as diverse a list of personalities as Johannes Ockeghem, Sergej Prokofiev, Charles Mingus and Frank Zappa. Jazz, classical, avant-garde and ethnic styles merge stunningly in his music. For this reason, he is often referred to by music journalists as a "rebel" against the "piano-establishment".
The music of Chris Jarrett is vital and impulsive, full of breaks and surprises and rarely fits into the usual categories of the music industry. For Chris Jarrett, Frank Zappa is an equally valuable model as are the masters of the Baroque or the Renaissance. No wonder his repertoire ranges from atonal miniatures, to sonatas, film scores, ballet and opera.