About Jason Yeager

"United takes you on an intriguing and picturesque journey. The CD covers a wide range of musical terrain and the writing and playing on each track are adventurous, engaging and passionate, making you eager to hear the next song."
-Grammy-nominated violinist and MacArthur Fellow Regina Carter

New York-based pianist/composer Jason Yeager's music is deeply expressive and multi-faceted. A recording artist on Greg Osby's Inner Circle Music label, Yeager has released three albums of original music to wide acclaim, including two with his eponymous trio: "Ruminations" (2011) and "Affirmation" (2014).

Yeager's newest project is a jointly-led effort with violin/mandolin virtuoso Jason Anick, entitled "United" (2017). Featuring the bass/drums team of Greg Loughman and Mike Connors, along with special guests George Garzone, Jason Palmer, Clay Lyons, John Lockwood, and Jerry Leake, "United" demonstrates how effectively today's most creative musical artists bloom outside the constrictions of genre and idiom. Rejecting the confining roles of strict categorization, the album draws on the wide swath of musical interests of its co-leaders, blending straight-ahead and post-bop jazz, world music, funk and pop, eagerly embracing what Anick and Yeager have defined as "jazz without borders." Displaying the virtuosic talents of both of these formidable instrumentalists, United also makes a thoroughly convincing claim for their roles as imaginative composers and inclusive conceptualists.

Mentored by jazz pianists Danilo Perez, Fred Hersch, Frank Carlberg, and Ran Blake, Yeager's evolving musical personality reflects his love of jazz and improvisation combined with elements of 20th century classical music, the blues, Argentine folk styles, drum'n'bass rhythms and more. He is also active as a sideman in various groups in New York, Boston, and beyond, and has performed or recorded with several noteworthy artists, including Greg Osby, Rudresh Mahanthapa, the Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra, Sara Serpa, Ran Blake, James Cammack, Mark Walker, Aubrey Johnson, Noah Preminger, Julie Benko, and Linda Oh, among many others. Yeager has performed throughout the U.S. and abroad in Argentina, South Africa, and Botswana. He is the winner of the Hot House Magazine Jazz Fans Decision 2014 contest for best pianist and best organist. In addition to his work as a bandleader, Yeager can be heard as a sideman on several recordings, most recently Ran Blake's "Ghost Tones" (2015) and Jason Anick's "Tipping Point" (2014).

Yeager is interested in the intersections between the arts, education, and social change/social justice. Currently, he is composing a set of pieces inspired by characters from Kurt Vonnegut's fiction. A graduate of the Tufts University/New England Conservatory double degree program (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Pi Kappa Lambda), Jason is a member of the piano faculties at Berklee College of Music in Boston and the Varta Academy of Musical Arts in New York City.

In addition to his work performing with the Jason Yeager Trio and as a sideman, Yeager is interested in the intersections between the arts, education, and social change/social justice. Currently, he is composing a set of pieces for solo piano inspired by compelling pieces of war journalism. A graduate of the Tufts University/New England Conservatory double degree program (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Pi Kappa Lambda), Jason is a member of the piano faculties at Berklee College of Music in Boston and the Varta Academy of Musical Arts in New York City.

"...an incredible composer and musician....[who] surprises you like a thunderbolt..."
-Ran Blake, pianist/composer and MacArthur Fellow

"...[Jason] always impressed me with his talent, his curiosity and his desire to create his own music while really investigating the jazz piano tradition."
-Fred Hersch, pianist/composer

"[Jason Yeager] is an individualist with a high concept, and his music contains grace and color and a great deal of depth."
-Greg Osby, saxophonist/composer

"The evidence is clear on Affirmation, his second outing on Greg Osby's Inner Cricle Music label... .With a highly interactive trio...Yeager stakes out his own unique territory on originals ranging from the Bud Powell-ish 'Stumblebop' to the quirky 'Blues for Billy P'..."
-Bill Milkowski, Downbeat Magazine

"[4 Stars.] No sophomore slump for pianist Jason Yeager. His trio disc "Affirmation" actually has the feel of a mature artist's fourth, fifth, and sixth recording. Maybe that is because his trio is a true working unit with bassist Danny Weller and drummer Matt Rousseau or possibly it's his ability to integrate varying musical concepts without sounding imitative."
-Mark Corroto, All About Jazz

"Affirmation sparkles with intelligence and impressive musicianship..."
-Richard B. Kamins, Stemp Tempest Blog

"...the trio's illuminating dexterity is expressive, unyielding and accessible... .an emerging artist to watch for in today's jazz."
-Rob Young, The Vertical Spin

About Jason Anick

One of the youngest instructors at Boston's Berklee College of Music and an award winning composer, Jason Anick is a co-founder and a featured member of the Rhythm Future Quartet, one of the preeminent neo-Gypsy Jazz outfits; he also leads his own contemporary jazz ensemble, and performs with the Grammy-winning guitarist John Jorgenson. With performances all over the world and renowned venues like the Montreal Jazz Festival, Blue Note, Scullers Jazz Club, Yoshi's Jazz Club, and TD Garden, Jason has proven himself to be a leader in the ever-growing contemporary string world. Anick's recordings as a leader include Sleepless, Tipping Point, and Travels.

Website by Ben Azzara 2015