Jess Jurkovic lived in the suburbs of St. Paul, Minnesota as a lad. He discovered jazz (and his love of it) at age 14, and began to teach himself piano and composition. He blossomed in the halls (tunnels and skyways) of the University of Minnesota, but came into his own as he attended the Manhattan School of Music, earning his Master's Degree in 1998. He has garnered attention as the pianist in the Pedro Giraudo Jazz Orchestra, as well as with Justin Hines and the Headphones, and has recently made Leonisa Ardizzone's Quartet a Quintet. In 2007 he produced his first solo piano album, Two Hands, Volume 1.
