Oli Rockberger profile picture

Oli Rockberger

Singer Songwriter/Session Player/Producer

About Me


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"Powerful and melodic, crossover jazz singer-songwriter who mixes savvy jazz licks with improvisatory flair and genuinely catchy tunes - bucking the trend set by lesser radio-friendly, jazz-influenced singers. His accomplished piano work is enhanced by a killer band that includes supremely talented Hiromi bassist Tony Grey and drummer Jordan Perlson..." TIME OUT (London)
"..a repertoire riplling with hip pop and R&B harmonies laced with jazz devices...Oli Rockberger's as much of a slam-dunk talent as any artist I've ever reviewed or interviewed..." ALL ABOUT JAZZ, Phil DiPietro
"...gifted British treasure brings such jazz integrity to essentially a rock repertoire. A talented songwriter yes, but his sensational piano playing will knock your socks off..." JAZZ UK, Chrissie Murray
London born (NYC BASED) Singer/Songwriter and Pianist Oli Rockberger was identified by London Broadsheet 'The Times' as 'A rising star in the arts firmament' by age 18. Shortly after, he gained a Full Tuition Scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music where he 'won every formal accolade they could hand him' (Phil DiPietro – "All About Jazz") including the highly coveted 'Quincy Jones Endowed Scholarship' for outstanding young composers.
Since then, Oli has gone on to establish himself as a first rate international performer with solo artist highlights including: The Royal Albert Hall (UK), The Phoenix Jazz Festival (Japan), The Brecon Jazz Festival (UK), Steinway and Sons of Boston, Soul of The Blues Festival Cornelia Street Café (Headliner 2006, 2007) and a sell out show at top London Jazz venue, The Pizza Express Jazz Club (2007).
Equally in demand as a Session Musician/Producer/Arranger, Oli recently Co-Produced and performed on the forthcoming album "Chasing Shadows" by prodigious bassist Tony Grey (Hiromi, John McLaughlin). The album, which features a host of first class instrumental talent including Chris "daddy" Dave, Lionel Loueke and Gregoire Maret, will be released in the USA on "Abstract Logix" and in Japan on "Ward Records" (May 2008). Oli also appears as a special guest on Mocean Worker's most recent album "Cinco De Mowo" which features performances by Marcus Miller, Herb Alpert and Steven Bernstein. As a Songwriter, Oli penned an original "Quiet" and a co-write "Orange Moon" (with Jesse Hayes) last year which both appeared on the album "Ai Wo" by EMI Japan Artist Aika, garnering radio airplay and a top ten chart position. Most recently, Oli appears on The Billy Holliday "Remixed and Reimagined" album on Legacy Records (SONY) and on the new live album by virtuoso bassist Janek Gwizdala, recorded over two nights at NYC's legendary Jazz Venue, "The 55 Bar".
Oli has shared the stage with a diverse range of world class musical artists on both sides of the pond from jazz & soul, through funk, pop, rock and gospel. Recent highlights include performances with Saxophonist Bob Reynolds (The Blue Note, The "MayerCraft Carrier" on a shared bill with John Mayer, Soulive, Martin Sexton) Jazz/Electronica artist Mocean Worker (The Blue Note, Joe's Pub, "Bumbershoot Festival" Seattle, KCRW Live Sessions LA, "Treasure Island Festival" San Francisco) Singer/Songwriter Marlon Saunders (Jazz Cafe, Blue Note, Symphony Space), Bassist Janek Gwizdala Band (55 Bar - live recording) and musical legends such as Randy Brecker, Hiram Bullock, David Ryan Harris and Jackie De Shannon amongst numerous others.
Press includes a feature in Playboy Japan's NYC Arts/Culture post 9-11 in an article featuring both upcoming and established jazz luminaries such as Ron Carter, Wynton Marsalis and Makoto Ozone. Oli has also been featured several times in NYC's "All About Jazz" magazine as well as in "Time Out" (London), UK Broadsheets such as 'The Times', 'The Telegraph', and in UK Jazz Magazines like 'Jazz UK' and 'Jars' (Ronnie Scott's in-house magazine). Radio airplay includes UK's Jazz FM and BBC Radio as well as numerous US jazz radio podcasts.
For full bio, audio (live and studio), please visit www.olirockberger.com

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 12/28/2005
Band Website: cdbaby.com/cd/olirockberger2
Band Members: Tony Grey (Bass) Jordan Perlson (Drums) Bob Reynolds (Sax)

Solo Records and Session Work

Clips from various NYC shows

Influences: Sting, James Taylor, Bruce Hornsby, Pat Metheny, Stevie Wonder, Jesse Hayes, Andrew Johnson, Tony Grey, Joseph Craig, Romain Collin, Herbie Hancock, Take 6, The Yellowjackets, Lewis Tayor, Steely Dan, Phil Collins, Kenny Garrett, Keith Jarrett...we could go on all day...and night....
Sounds Like: Sting, Steely Dan, Phil Collins, James Taylor, Ray Charles, George Benson, Bruce Hornsby...
Record Label: ...I'm listening....
Type of Label: None

My Blog

Where & how to purchase my music...

Hey - I’m often asked what is the best way to get hold of my music. There’s a couple of ways and it’s really easy. If you want to download the records digitially as MP3’s, just...
Posted by Oli Rockberger on Thu, 27 Mar 2008 05:31:00 PST

New Song Posted - "I Miss My Home"

Hey there - just wanted to let you know that I’ve posted a newly finished song on my page called "I Miss My Home". I hope you enjoy it...:)love,Oli
Posted by Oli Rockberger on Thu, 27 Mar 2008 05:26:00 PST

Oli on YouTube

There are now 4 short videos up on UTUBE (www.youtube.com - just type "Oli Rockberger" in to the search engine) from some shows in NYC. Hope you enjoy!
Posted by Oli Rockberger on Mon, 01 Jan 2007 09:47:00 PST