Edward Simon (musician)

Edward Simon
Edward Simon in 2007
Background information
Born	(1969-07-27) July 27, 1969 Punta Cardón, Venezuela
Genres	Jazz, Latin jazz, world fusion
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer
Instrument	Piano
Years active	1988–present
Labels	AudioQuest, Sunnyside, CAM Jazz

Edward Simon (born July 27, 1969) is a Venezuelan jazz pianist and composer.

Early life

Simon was born in Punta Cardón, Venezuela. When he was ten years old, he went to the United States of America to study at the Performing Arts School in Philadelphia. After graduating, he attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where he studied classical piano, then the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied jazz piano.

Later life and career

In 1988, he recorded as a sideman with Greg Osby, then worked as a member of the band Horizon led by Bobby Watson. For the next eight years he was a member of Terence Blanchard's band. He has also worked with Herbie Mann, Paquito D'Rivera, Bobby Hutcherson, Jerry Gonzalez, John Patitucci, Arturo Sandoval, Manny Oquendo, and Don Byron. Simon recorded Beauty Within (AudioQuest, 1994), his first album as a bandleader, with Horacio Hernández and bass guitarist Anthony Jackson. During the same year, he was a finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition. Then the following year he composed Rumba Neurotica for the Relache Ensemble.

He formed Ensemble Venezuela in 2003 to combine jazz with the music of Venezuela. He was given a commission by Chamber Music America to write "Venezuelan Suite". He recorded the album in 2012 with musicians from Venezuela, Colombia, and the U.S.

Simon has played on several Grammy-nominated jazz albums. Besides his trio he leads the Sexteto Venezuela, the Afinidad Quartet, and the group Simon, Simon, & Simon with his brothers. He has taught at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City and has been artist in residence at Western Michigan University.

As leader

Album	Label	Year released	Session musicians
Beauty Within	AudioQuest	1994	Horacio Hernández, Anthony Jackson, Diego Urcola
Edward Simon	Kokopelli	1995	Larry Grenadier, Adam Cruz, Mark Turner, Milton Cardona
La Bikina	Mythology	1998	Adam Cruz, Ben Street, Mark Turner, David Binney, Pernell Saturnino, Diego Urcola, Milton Cardona
Afinidad	Red	2001	David Binney, Scott Colley, Brian Blade, Adam Cruz, Lucia Pulido, Adam Rogers
The Process	Criss Cross	2003	John Patitucci, Eric Harland
Fiestas de Agosto	Red	2005	David Binney, Donny McCaslin
Simplicitas	Criss Cross	2005	Avishai Cohen, Adam Cruz, Luciana Souza, Adam Rogers, Pernell Saturnino
Unicity	CAM Jazz	2006	John Patitucci, Brian Blade
Océanos	Criss Cross	2007	David Binney, Scott Colley, Brian Blade, Luciana Souza, Adam Rogers, Shane Endsley, Jesse Newman, Alan Ferber, Pernell Saturnino
Poesia	CAM Jazz	2009	John Patitucci, Brian Blade
Danny Boy	Audio & Video Labs	2010	Philip Donkin, Stephen Keogh
Live in New York at Jazz Standard	Sunnyside	2013	John Patitucci, Brian Blade
Venezuelan Suite	Sunnyside	2014	-
Latin American Songbook	Sunnyside	2016	-
Sorrows & Triumphs	Sunnyside	2018	David Binney, Scott Colley, Brian Blade, Adam Rogers
Solo Live	Ridgeway	2021	-

As sideman

With Craig Handy

• Split Second Timing (Arabesque, 1992) – recorded in 1991

With Greg Osby

• Mindgames (JMT, 1988)
• Season of Renewal (JMT, 1990) – recorded in 1989

With Terence Blanchard

• 1994: Romantic Defiance (Columbia, 1995)
• 1995: The Heart Speaks (Columbia, 1996)
• 1999: Wandering Moon (Sony Classical, 2000)
• 2001: Let's Get Lost (Sony Classical, 2001)

External links

• Official site