New York City organist/pianist, Brian Charette, has established himself as a leading voice in modern jazz. Charette is a Grammy Nominated, Hammond endorsed artist who was just named the winner of the 2014 Downbeat Critic's Poll in the "Rising Star:Organ" category. Square One (2014 Posi-Tone), his seventh record, presents a fresh take on the art of the organ trio. The music is elegantly lyrical with a very modern jazz sensibility.
Charette was born in Meriden, Connecticut in 1972, and was introduced to music by his mother, Catherine. By the age of seventeen, he was playing with jazz luminaries Lou Donaldson and Houston Person. After graduating on the Dean's List from UConn in 1994 with a BA in Classical Piano Performance, Charette began touring Europe and was drawn to the culture and scene of Prague, Czech Republic where he now lives half the time.
Besides being a critically acclaimed composer and band leader, Brian has worked with many notable artists such as Joni Mitchell, Chaka Khan, Paul Simon, Cyndi Lauper, and many others. Charette, is also an active author and educator, writing for Keyboard Magazine, DownBeat, and Czech magazine Muzikus. Brian teaches masterclasses all over the world and is on the faculty of the Czech Summer Jazz Workshop at Jesek Conservatory in Prague. He will release his first book for publisher Hal Leonard in the fall of 2014, 101 Hammond B3 Tips, and has a popular instructional video on the website, mymusicmasterclass.com
Outside of music, Charette is passionate about chess and White Crane kung fu, in which he holds a black sash.