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Bill Cunliffe, piano
Grammy Award-winning pianist, composer, and arranger Bill Cunliffe is known for his innovative approach to jazz, from solo to big band and orchestral works, and his exciting straight-ahead jazz performances with classical and crossover appeal. Winner of the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition, graduate of Duke University and the Eastman School of Music, Cunliffe performs globally as a leader and soloist with symphony orchestras. Recent recordings include Trio (2021), featuring bassist John Patitucci and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, and Border Widow's Lament (2022), with bassist Martin Wind and drummer Tim Horner. Cunliffe's best known orchestral compositions include Grammy-nominated "Fourth Stream, La Banda", and his three-part composition "Rainforest," written for Dick Oatts, Tim Warfield and Terell Stafford.
His film scoring work includes a film noir by Singaporean director Ying J. Tan, and films with well-known actress, producer and director Dorothy Lyman. Cunliffe's score for the documentary "On the Shoulders of Giants," produced by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, was nominated by the 44th NAACP Image Awards both for Outstanding Soundtrack and Outstanding Group Performance.
Cunliffe performed and toured with Buddy Rich, James Moody, Freddie Hubbard and Benny Golson, and with vocalists Frank Sinatra, Marlena Shaw, Mark Murphy, Freda Payne, Jane Monheit, Anita O'Day and Natalie Cole. Collaborations include the Joe La Barbera Quintet, the Roy McCurdy Quartet, the Terell Stafford Quintet, the Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and Clayton Brothers Quintet.
A celebrated arranger and composer, Cunliffe earned a Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement for "West Side Story Medley" from the album "Resonance Big Band Plays Tribute to Oscar Peterson." Other Grammy nominations include his arrangement of Steely Dan's "Do It Again," his orchestral arrangement "Angel Eyes," written for trombonist Alan Kaplan, and his piano concerto "Overture, Waltz and Rondo." Cunliffe also has written many choral and chamber pieces, and concertos for guitar, tuba, trumpet and piano. He will record his second piano concerto in 2026 with the Scottish Royal Symphony Orchestra.
Bill is dedicated to the future of jazz. He is Distinguished Professor of Music at Cal State Fullerton, teaches at the Skidmore Jazz Institute, the Vail Jazz Workshop, and the InterHarmony International Music Festival. Cunliffe has taught at HBCU Central State University (Ohio), University of Southern California, and Temple University. He has also authored a highly regarded jazz keyboard educational book series for aspiring jazz musicians.