Charlie Dennard - ProfilesArchive

About Me

Charlie Dennard (b. Nov. 3, 1969) is an American keyboardist and composer who is currently living in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Throughout the last decade Charlie has performed and recorded internationally with a variety of jazz, blues, and world music ensembles as well as theatrical productions. From 2002 until 2008 Charlie was the Assistant Bandleader and keyboardist for Cirque du Soleil’s touring production "Alegria" and with them successfully performed over 1,700 shows in 12 different countries. Before joining Cirque du Soleil, Charlie received his Masters Degree in Music from the University of New Orleans in 1998 where he was a jazz piano student of the legendary Ellis Marsalis. Charlie is also an active composer, producer, teacher and leads his own bands where he specializes in jazz, creativity and improvisation. Dennard’s goal in life is to make a difference in the world through music...

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 2/22/2006
Band Website: charliedennard.com
Band Members: New World Funk Ensemble, Quintology, Stanton Moore's 'Moore & More', Theresa Andersson Group, 5 O'Clock Charlie, Micheal Ray & the Cosmic Krewe, Robert Moore & the Wildcats, New Orleans Juice, Brides of Jesus, Geoff Green Quartet, Sarah Kramer, Friends of Jabu, Electravibe, etc.
Influences: Life, travelling, 1 Giant Leap, ECM, New Orleans, Brahms, Brazil, KISS, Zawinul, Herman Hesse, Brian Eno, Herbie Hancock, Van Morrison, Richard Bona, Chuck Leavell, Oregon, Lenine, Ray Charles, Nguyun Le, Tangerine Dream, Pat Metheny, Larry Goldings, Al DiMeola World Sinfonia, Jimmy Smith, Stevie Wonder, Andre Mehmari, Djavan, Joe Sample, Satie, Scofield, Daniel Lanois, J.S. Bach, Ivan Lins, William Orbit, Arthur C. Clarke, Patrick O’Hearn, Pink Floyd, Yes, John Mayer, Kurt Rosenwinkle, Zap Mama, Ennio Morricone, Thomas Dolby, Sting, Tribal Tech, etc. etc. etc.
Sounds Like: Myself and whoever I am playing with...
Record Label: Independent
Type of Label: None

My Blog

International amenities

As I was sitting on the toilet the other day, a sudden flash of inspiration came over me to write this blog. Looking for something to read while letting nature take its course, I began checking the la...
Posted by Charlie Dennard on Fri, 06 Jul 2007 05:13:00 PST

Lederhosen in London

Vienna sounds like the perfect place for yours truly with its rich history of classical icons and philosophical frontiersman who used to roam the cobblestone streets there as they set out to change (a...
Posted by Charlie Dennard on Fri, 02 Feb 2007 03:28:00 PST

Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?

One of my earliest memories as a child includes my parents taking me to see the Mardi Gras in New Orleans. I loved catching (and eating) the moon-pies that were catapulted from the flamboyant floats a...
Posted by Charlie Dennard on Mon, 11 Sep 2006 01:31:00 PST

Hangin' with the Stones in Amsterdam...

What a trip! This week I got to hang backstage with the Rolling Stones at their gig here in Amsterdam. Then, to make things even better Ronnie Wood and his wife Jo came to see me perform with "Alegria...
Posted by Charlie Dennard on Thu, 03 Aug 2006 02:58:00 PST

Favorite hiding places...

20 years ago when I was a music student in Miami, I remember thinking to myself what a great place it was just to be hiding-out. It all seemed so exotic to me back then especially in my nice new cond...
Posted by Charlie Dennard on Mon, 01 May 2006 06:46:00 PST

Jazz Ambassadors - Rome, Italy

Jazz Ambassadors of New Orleans @ La Palma in Rome, Italy A traditional funky brass band from New Orleans is something that should not only be heard but literally experienced in a live setting. I just...
Posted by Charlie Dennard on Fri, 31 Mar 2006 03:09:00 PST

Technical set-up on tour...

When I first joined Cirque du Soleil's "Alegria" tour in late 2002, the keyboard set-up was a typical MIDI rig from hell consisting of a couple of Roland XP-80 controller keyboards linked to a coupl...
Posted by Charlie Dennard on Tue, 21 Mar 2006 03:02:00 PST

The Art of Being Homeless...

A couple of years ago during a flight from who knows where to somewhere else, I remember a person asking me that all too common question, "So, where do you live?" Since I've been traveling full time w...
Posted by Charlie Dennard on Mon, 20 Mar 2006 10:45:00 PST