Jan Luley

Jan Luley piano, vocals, composer

Jan Luley was born in Bad Hersfeld in 1971 as a son whose family has a long music tradition. He had his first performance, when he was twelve years old, playing Ragtime. At the age of 15 he made his first professional steps in his fathers New Orleans and Dixie band „The Hot Swing Company“. Fascinated from the intensity and briskness of blues and early jazz he quit his classical piano lessons after seven years. He turned totally towards this great music.
Supported by his father's extensive record collection, he took "lessons" from the old piano giants like Earl Hines, Fats Waller and others. After several years of autodidactic work Jan Luley started to study jazz in Arnhem/Netherlands. Although this study contained mainly modern jazz styles he never forgot the "roots". He was engaged in the music of Chicago Blues and Boogie Woogie as played by Pine Top Smith, Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis.
In 1993 he started to win his spurs as sideman of several internationally, well-known artists such as Angela Brown, John Boutté, Gene “Mighty Flea” Conners, Big Jay McNeely or Wycliffe Gordon. He performed with bluesmen like Little Willie Littlefield, Louisiana Red and Albie Donnelly and with artists from New Orleans like Leroy Jones, Lady Linda Lacen, Herb Hardesty and many more. Again and again he was attracted by the city on the banks of the Mississippi, where jazz was born. There he went several times to walk through the dense atmosphere of barrelhouse blues and Creole rhythms and he followed the tracks of the old piano giants James Booker, Professor Longhair and Eddie Bo.
In almost all European countries Jan Luley performed solo, with his band or as sideman at festivals, in innumerable clubs, as well as in radio and TV broadcastings. From 1999 till 2009 he was a member of the internationally renowned Barrelhouse Jazzband (founded in 1953) from Frankfurt/Main, Germany.In addition he is performing solo, with his trio or as a sideman in different projects between acoustic blues (e.g. with blues singer Angela Brown from Chicago) and contemporary jazz.
In the 2004 Jan Luley founded his own record label and started to produce for other artists, too. He is art director of the Live Jazz Festival Bad Hersfeld/Germany and organizes concerts and events in jazz, gospel, rock and pop. He composes, arranges and workes as a coach for other artists and bands.In 2010 he'll mainly be on tour with his new program PIANO TALES, performing solo or with his trio.
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Jan Luley, der die mittelhessische Gemeinde Amöneburg zu seiner Wahlheimat erkoren hat, spielte in seiner bisherigen Karriere rund 1200 Konzerte solo oder als Begleiter namhafter Künstler der Jazz-, Blues- und Rock/Pop-Szene in den meisten europäischen Ländern auf Festivals, in unzähligen Clubs, sowie in Rundfunk und Fernsehen. Er studierte Musikpädagogik für Jazz, Rock und Pop mit Hauptfach Klavier an der ‚Hogeschool voor de kunsten’ im niederländischen Arnheim und ist nunmehr seit über 20 Jahren in Sachen Musik professionell unterwegs. Er verdiente sich seine ersten Sporen als Begleiter von international bekannten Künstlern wie Angela Brown, Gene „Mighty Flea“ Conners, Big Jay McNeely und Jan Harrington. Er spielte an der Seite von Little Willie Littlefield, Louisiana Red, Bill Ramsey, Ilja Richter und Albie Donnelly, mit Künstlern aus New Orleans wie John Boutté, Leroy Jones und vielen anderen.
Immer wieder zog es ihn in die Geburtsstadt des Jazz am Mississippi, um in der dichten Atmosphäre von Barrelhouse-Blues und kreolischen Rhythmen auf den Spuren seiner Vorbilder Professor Longhair, James Booker, Eddie Bo und anderer zu wandeln. Aber auch die Musik von Pianisten wie Erroll Garner, Thelonious Monk und Herbie Hancock gehören zu den von Luley verarbeiteten Einflüssen.
Von 1999bis 2009 saß er bei der Frankfurter Barrelhouse Jazzband am Klavier. Daneben tritt Jan Luley auch mit verschiedenen Piano-Solo-Programmen auf, mit seinem Trio oder als Sideman in den unterschiedlichsten Projekten zwischen akustischem Blues (z.B mit Angela Brown aus Chicago/USA) und zeitgenössischem Jazz.
2004 gründete er sein Label Luleymusic Records und begann auch für andere Künstler zu produzieren. Er schreibt Songs, arrangiert und coacht Künstler der verschiedensten stilistischen Sparten. Seit 2007 ist er künstlerischer Leiter des Jazzfestivals Bad Hersfeld.In 2010 wird er vornehmlich mit seinem neuen Programm PIANO TALES - solo oder mit seinem Trio - auf Tour sein.
Artists, I had the chance to work with:

Albie Donnelly, Allan Harris, Angela Altieri, Angela Brown, Barbara Ann Shorts, Big Al Carson, Big Jay McNeely, Bill Ramsey, Boney Fields, Brenda Boykin, Carrie Smith, Christoph Oeser, Clifford Solomon, Craig Klein, Dan Levinson, Davell Crawford, Deborah Woodson, Eddie Bo Paris, Eddie “Fast” Erickson, Engelbert Wrobel, Evan Christopher, Fritz Hartschuh, Franz Jackson, Gary Wiggins, Gene “Mighty Flea” Conners, Götz Ommert, Gustl Mayer, Harriet Lewis, Harvey Sorgen, Heinz Sauer, Herb Hardesty, Herbert Christ, Hollis Gilmore, Ilja Richter, Janice Harrington, Jean Dufour, Joan Faulkner, Joe Doll, Joe Fonda, Joe Krown, Joe Wulf, John Allred, John Boutté, John Defferary, Judy Carmichael, Justin Kisor, Lady Linda Lacen, Leroy Jones, Lisa Shaw, Little Willie Littlefield, Louisiana Red, Louis Ford, Lucien Barbarin, Love Newkirk, Martin Wind, Matt Perrine, Miles Griffith, Norman Emberson, Ole “Fessor” Lindgren, Olivier Franc, Paul G. Ulrich, Randy Sandke, Red Holloway, Reimer von Essen, Rod Mason, Sandra King, Sydney Ellis, Tanya Boutté, Thomas L'Etienne, Tom McDermott, Trevor Richards, Ulli Kron, Wendell Brunious, Winard Harper, Wycliffe Gordon and many, many more - Thank you all so much for your music

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