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Canadian pianist Pamela York hails from an unlikely source for jazz talent-Nanaimo, British Columbia-unlikely, that is, until one notes that pianist-singer Diana Krall and trumpeter Ingrid Jensen both come from the same small Vancouver Island home. "People are definitely starting to ask if there must be something in the water," says the pianist. Pamela began her formal training at the age of eight. She studied classical music throughout her childhood and eventually obtained an Associate Degree in Piano Performance from the prestigious Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Her hard work paid off and in 1990 she was awarded a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to enable her to study jazz at Berklee College of Music in Boston where she earned a Bachelor's Degree in 1991. In 1995 she completed her Master's Degree in Jazz from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where she held a graduate teaching assistantship. She has studied privately with jazz greats Diana Krall, Jerry Coker, Donald Brown and Ray Santisi. In November of 1998 she was a finalist in the Great American Jazz Piano Competition, Jacksonville, Florida. In the summer of 2000 she attended the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz, Aspen on a full scholarship. Pamela has performed with John Claton, Jeff Hamilton, Carl Allen, Conte Candoli, Buddy Defranco, Rufus Reid, Joe LaBarbera, Warren Vache, Wycliffe Gordon, Pete Christlieb, Christopher Hollyday, Virginia Mayhew, Holly Hofmann, Herlin Riley, Rickey Woddard, Carmen Bradford, Lynn Seaton, Kristin Korb, Bob Magnusson, Jim DeJulio, Guy Barker, Geregory Hutchinson, Ben Riley, Jerry Coker, Donald Brown, Cathy Segal-Garcia, Jay Leonhard, Danny Gottlieb, Bob Mintzer, Rich Matteson, Rob McConnell, Marvin Stamm, Steve Houghton, The San Diego Symphony Pops, Monica Mancini, Michael Feinstein, Robert Guillaume and the San Diego Chamber Orchestra. With the recent release of "Blue York" Pamela takes her career to the next level. Joined by John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton the trio plays a set of standards, blues and three impressive originals. Scott Yanow (All Music Guide to Jazz) says, "Expanding the jazz tradition by adding her own personal voice and coming up with fresh ways to swing, Pamela York clearly has an important future ahead of her, one well worth watching." |
