Happy October 24th; Well You Needn’t – First recorded for Blue Note (549) on October 24, 1947, it is one of Thelonious Monk’s most recorded and most popular tunes, and a very good example of Monk’s penchant for chromatic harmonic motion.

Who is Phil DeGreg?

Phil DeGreg began playing the piano in his childhood and now performs as a jazz pianist internationally. His earliest jazz influences were Bud Powell and Bill Evans, but he is accomplished and comfortable in a wide range of jazz styles, ranging from mainstream to bebop to Brazilian jazz. His versatility has led to professional performances with dozens of internationally recognized jazz artists, as well as leading and recording with his own groups. Phil DeGreg has released nine recordings as a leader and has been recorded as a sideman on many other jazz projects.

A native of Cincinnati, Phil completed a degree in psychology from Yale University before becoming a professional musician. After three years working and studying music in Kansas City, he finished a masters degree atUniversity of North Texas, and subsequently toured the world for a year with Woody Herman’s Thundering Herd. Later he was the recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts grants. He was named one of the 10 finalists in Jazziz Magazine’s 1995 “Keyboardists on Fire” competition, and was a 1996 finalist in the Great American Jazz Piano Competition. Phil has performed in clubs and concerts throughout the United States, and in the United Kingdom,France, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Brazil.

Phil considers music to be a gift and is dedicated to sharing his love of jazz through teaching. Phil was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to lecture about jazz in Brazil, which he did for three months in the spring of 2008. He is currently Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, where he teaches jazz theory, arranging, piano, and ensembles. He has taught for the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops (since 1982), the UK Jazzwise Jazz Camps (since 1996) and has served on the faculty of the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, the Miami Valley Summer Jazz Workshops, and the Jim Widner Jazz Camps.

You can catch Phil at Dee Felice in Covington, KY every Sunday at 4:00pm as well as many other places in our area; check the Jazz Advocate calendar.

Jazz Calendar

Here are some (not all) of the upcoming jazz events for the next couple of weeks:

Tonight Wednesday, October 24 – Tonight, for you dancers, the Lizz & Rex Quartet is at The Dayton Event Connection and Dave Greer’s Classic Jazz Stompers performs at Neil’s Heritage House both in Dayton.
Thursday October 25 – Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra is at The Blue Wisp Jazz Club in Cincinnati and Backstage w/TCarpe Diem & Speak Williams is at The Lincoln Theatre in Columbus.
Friday October 26 – Shawn Stanley Trio performs at Carvers Steaks & Chops in Centerville while Terry Murphy and Company Band is playing The De’lish Café in Dayton.
Saturday October 27 – Chez Norain in Covington, KY has Halloween! with Ricky Nye Inc. and Nighttown in Cleveland Heights presents the Greg Abate Quintet Featuring Phil Woods.
Sunday October 28 – Dayton’s longest jazz jam continues at Jazz Central in Dayton and the Phil DeGreg Trio is at Dee Felice in Covington, KY.
Monday October 29 – the John Taylor Trio is at the Brio Tuscan Grille in Beavercreek and the Clintonville Woman’s Club is hosting Vaughn Wiester’s Famous Jazz Orchestra.
Tuesday October 30 – Park Street Tavern continues their Jazz Jam and the Tony Monaco Trio performs at The Rumba Café both in Columbus.
Wednesday October 31 – the Tuxedo Junction Big Band is at The The Dayton Event Connection and the James Elliott Project Featuring Roger Baccus is performing at Zanzibar Brews in Columbus.
Thursday November 1 – The Dayton Art Institute Vectren Jazz & Beyond series concludes with on of their most popular offerings when Puzzle of Light returns. Stay tuned for when their next season begins in March of 2013.
Friday November 2 – Jazz Alive presents The Cohesion Jazz Ensemble at The Fairfield Community Arts Center in Fairfield, OH and the Thompson House presents the Eddie Brookshire Quintet in Newport, Ky.
Saturday November 3– Schwartz’s Point in Over-The-Rhine presents The NEW Ed Moss Trio in Cincinnati and The Jazz Kitchen offers Corey Christiansen in Indianapolis, IN.
Sunday November 4 – PAT KELLY’s PsychoAcoustic Orchestra will play at The Blue Wisp Jazz Club in Cincinnati and John Hampton Wagner returns to Jazz Central for their regular Jazz Jam in Dayton.
Monday November 5 – the Derek DiCenzo Trio is at Local Roots in Powell, OH and the Ed Moss & The Society Jazz Orchestra plays Schwartz’s Point in Over-The-Rhine in Cincinnati.