Rick Germanson

Rick Germanson

Initially into classical piano, Milwaukean Rick Germanson attended the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music where he studied with David Hazeltine, assimilating the bop canon of Wynton Kelly, Sonny Clark and Cedar Walton, and the post bop influences of Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and McCoy Tyner. “What’s interesting,” he says, “is that I was always attracted to the more modernist school of playing…I heard Wynton Marsalis’ Black Codes and was turned on by Kenny Kirkland’s solos. I wanted to play like that…”

Germanson is well on his way. After gigging in Milwaukee with Frank Morgan (who was living there at the time) and a year touring European jazz festivals in Morgan’s band, he returned to play the Milwaukee clubs and was introduced to Latin grooves by percussionist Luis Diaz. About this time Germanson hooked up with trumpeter Brian Lynch and expanded his horizons throughout the Midwest. After winning the 1996 Grand Prize in the American Pianist Association Jazz Piano Competition, Rick relocated to New York with a scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Jaki Byard. Since then he has moved in the fast company of such jazz virtuosos as Elvin Jones, Jimmy Cobb, Mickey Roker, Wynton Marsalis, Eddie Henderson, Tom Harrell, Eric Alexander, Craig Handy, Joe Locke, and Slide Hampton; with the Mingus Big Band and Louis Hayes’ Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band; and with vocalists Marlena Shaw, Carla Cook, and Kevin Mahogany.

Jay Young © Andrea Canter

For about a year, Germanson had a weekly gig at the Four Seasons Hotel in NYC, which gave him “a chance to really delve into some repertoire. They like to hear standards and you can do so much with them.” Rick acknowledges coming under the influence of Art Tatum’s music during this period, particularly “his harmonic sense, his movements, his reharmonizations, the drama he creates.”

Rick’s debut recording, Heights (Fresh Sound/New Talent), prompted All About Jazz to name him “Best New Talent New York” for 2004. Bill Donaldson (Cadence) noted, “Without ostentation and with clearly conceived logic… Germanson makes clear to his listeners the narratives of his music. Indeed, one of Germanson's trademarks seems to be his transitioning between tempos to add interest to his arrangements.”

Germanson’s own compositions bring his gigs to the “heights” of modern jazz: For example, “Smokehouse Blues” is a sophisticated, swinging blues worthy of Oscar Peterson at his best; “Daytona” indeed is like a great stockcar race that tears up and down the full keyboard, featuring both densely developed structures and fleeting staccato passages; “In the Cut” tips a hand to Bobby Timmons’ “Moanin’” with a bluesy swing.

Two years ago, Germanson released another gem, You Tell Me, again on Fresh Sound/New Talent. The newer recording picks up where Heights left off—a set of mostly original compositions that display the richly textured ideas of an ever-evolving pianist. Is there an intentional link between Heights and You Tell Me? Says Germanson, “You Tell Me is a natural, organic progression from Heights. It encompasses an amalgamation of everything that I have been working on or influenced by since the recording of Heights, however, not in a pre-conceived notion. The tunes and arrangements and improvisation are reflective of who I am now as an artist.”

These days, Rick Germanson keeps up a busy touring schedule, mostly with Pat Martino and Louis Hayes’ Cannonball Legacy Band. He also notes that “I recently worked for the first time with George Coleman, that was a treat! I also have a steady, four-nights-per-week gig at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Manhattan when I am in town.” If that isn’t enough, he still plays around New York and the Midwest with his trio.

Kenny Horst © Andrea Canter

Rick not only gets to the Artists Quarter at least once per year, he appears on local songstress Carole Martin’s latest recording, Songs From My Heart, which was recorded at the AQ. What’s the appeal of the AQ? “The Artists' Quarter is a great place to play because of the environment. You have a very savy jazz audience in St. Paul, real fans, so that makes it fun. The focus in the club is strictly on the music and the musicians. Kenny and Dawn (Horst) set the precedent and therefore everyone treats you well; the staff makes you feel welcome and comfortable. Kenny and Terry (Burns) and I have a real nice rapport as a trio, so I always enjoy coming back to explore that. Finally, it is always great way to visit my nephew Zack (Lozier of the quartet “Green”)... And I always look forward to seeing Davis (Wilson)!”

This weekend, Rick will be joined by veterans Jay Young on bass and AQ owner Kenny Horst on drums. In addition to his innovative takes on standards, we can expect Rick to present his own compositions with what Jazz Times described as his “tons of technique, taste and a clarity of right-hand runs, an appreciation for complex rhythms and a love for Latin.”

Luckily for those of us in the Twin Cities, Rick is accumulating his frequent flyer points with another pair of AQ dates, August 10-11, 9 pm. And live or on record, Rick Germanson “performs with delicate grace...using just the right touch to evoke a variety of textures” (Mark F. Turner, All About Jazz).