Bio
The talent of the Toronto born and raised Donnelly was apparent very early on. At age three he enrolled in Humber College's Community Music School, and by 10 he was already improvising and playing in ensembles. He was simultaneously studying classical piano at The Royal Conservatory of Music, and, as he notes, "I was part of the first generation of jazz students and now professional musicians who started out with both a jazz and classical education." By the time he was in high school, Chris' passion for jazz was in full flower. "As well as people like Oscar Peterson and Keith Jarrett, I'd see what my local heroes were doing, players like Brian Dickinson and Kirk MacDonald." he says. "I'd get to watch and hear them both in the Toronto clubs and when they came to Humber."
His next stop was The University of Toronto, where six years of intense study resulted in a Masters of Music in Jazz Performance. Chris studied under noted jazz pianist David Braid for two years there, and cites him as something of a mentor. Sensing his emerging talent, the University conferred the Tecumseh Sherman Rogers Graduating Award upon Donnelly, an honour given to the student "deemed to have the greatest potential to make an important contribution to the field of music." Chris has wasted no time in living up to the terms of this award, and he is also now a professor at U of T.
Donnelly burst onto the Canadian jazz scene in dramatic fashion with his 2008 debut album, Solo, on ALMA Records. The record balanced inventive reinterpretations of jazz standards by the legendary likes of Bill Evans, Bud Powell and Charlie Parker and seven original compositions that showcased his immense potential as a writer. Nominated for both Juno and National Jazz Awards, Solo won Donnelly the respect of his peers, while subsequent international touring confirmed Chris as an engaging performer.
Now, with Metamorphosis, Chris Donnelly is poised to take a quantum leap in his career. News of this project is already arousing international interest, and, in a real coup, the Escher estate has granted permission for Chris to reproduce the artist's work for the album cover. Tracking the artistic metamorphosis of this musical visionary promises to be a true pleasure.
