Dominic Alldis
Encyclopedia
Dominic Alldis is a jazz pianist, singer, orchestral conductor & arranger who straddles the worlds of jazz, classical music and New York cabaret. He began his musical career in 1982 in Paris, studying jazz piano with Aaron Bridgers and Bernard Maury, while accompanying singers in the chanson repertoire of Edith Piaf
, Jacques Brel
, Joseph Kosma
, Maurice Chevalier
, Charles Aznavour
and Michel Legrand
.
In 1984, he returned to the UK to become resident-pianist at London’s cabaret venue, Pizza on the Park. During a two-year residency he played opposite many cabaret entertainers, including Blossom Dearie
, Steve Ross
, Dave Frishberg
, Bob Dorough
, Andrea Marcovicci
and Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, as well as jazz pianists Teddy Wilson
, Dave McKenna
and Roger Kellaway
.
During the period 1987-89, Dominic studied composition with Konrad Boehmer
and Frederic Rzewski
at the Royal Dutch Conservatory of Music in the Hague. In 1988 he was invited by the Studio for Electro-Instrumental Music in Amsterdam (STEIM) to develop a performance using live electronics and the Yamaha MIDI Grand Piano. He then toured Europe during 1989-91 giving concerts using the revolutionary Yamaha
MIDI Grand Piano, culminating in an ambient piano album Night Music for Lumina Records.
In 1996 he launched the record label, Canzona Music, to record a series of vocal-jazz albums: Turn Out The Stars - the songs of Bill Evans
, If Love Were All - the songs of Noël Coward
and Watch What Happens - the songs of Michel Legrand
. His albums feature many of the UK's jazz musicians: Claire Martin
(vocals), Geoff Gascoyne (bass), Dave Ohm (drums), Adam Glasser (harmonica), Tim Garland
(saxophone), Alec Dankworth
(bass), Clark Tracey
(drums), Colin Oxley (guitar), Iain Ballamy
(saxophone), Malcolm Creese (bass) and Martin France
(drums). All albums on Canzona Music are distributed by New Note.
In 2002 he formed an octet comprising four jazz soloists and a classical string quartet: Iain Ballamy
(saxophone), Malcolm Creese (bass), Martin France
(drums) and the Pavao Quartet. Together, they undertook a UK tour sponsored by the Arts Council of England, in a programme of Dominic’s contemporary arrangements of themes from classic French films, such as A Man and a Woman, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Jules et Jim and Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, as well as songs by film composer Michel Legrand
. Concert venues included the Wigmore Hall
(London), the Adrian Boult Hall
(Birmingham) and the Queen’s Hall (Edinburgh). This led to a fourth album on the Canzona Music label: Themes From French Cinema.
For the last 10 years, Dominic has also cultivated a career as a business speaker, exploring music as a metaphor for the world of business. In 2001, he founded Music & Management to launch a range of musical presentations for executive training programs. His client-base is now worldwide and he makes frequent trips to New York, San Francisco, Shanghai, Bangkok, Brussels, Barcelona and Paris to speak about the power of music.
Dominic is on the staff at the Royal Academy of Music
in London, where he gives classes in improvisation for classical pianists and opera singers. In 2006, he directed “Jazz Singing for Classical Singers”, a two-day masterclass at the RAM. He has also written two books, "A Classical Approach to Jazz Piano Harmony" and "A Classical Approach to Jazz Piano Improvisation", both published by the Hal Leonard Corporation.
Dominic was born into a family of classical musicians; his mother is a violinist and his father choral conductor John Alldis
. Consequently, he has always maintained an interest in classical music and now divides his time between lecturing, jazz and conducting orchestras. In 2000 he was made an Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music
.
Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf , born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads...
, Jacques Brel
Jacques Brel
Jacques Brel was a Belgian singer-songwriter who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following in France initially, and later throughout the world. He was widely considered a master of the modern chanson...
, Joseph Kosma
Joseph Kosma
Joseph Kosma was a Hungarian-French composer, of Jewish background.-Biography:Kosma was born József Kozma in Budapest, where his parents taught stenography and typing. He had a brother, Akos. A maternal relative was the photographer László Moholy-Nagy, and another relative was the conductor Georg...
, Maurice Chevalier
Maurice Chevalier
Maurice Auguste Chevalier was a French actor, singer, entertainer and a noted Sprechgesang performer. He is perhaps best known for his signature songs, including Louise, Mimi, Valentine, and Thank Heaven for Little Girls and for his films including The Love Parade and The Big Pond...
, Charles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour, OC is an Armenian-French singer, songwriter, actor, public activist and diplomat. Besides being one of France's most popular and enduring singers, he is also one of the best-known singers in the world...
and Michel Legrand
Michel Legrand
Michel Jean Legrand is a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist...
.
In 1984, he returned to the UK to become resident-pianist at London’s cabaret venue, Pizza on the Park. During a two-year residency he played opposite many cabaret entertainers, including Blossom Dearie
Blossom Dearie
Blossom Dearie was an American jazz singer and pianist, often performing in the bebop genre and remembered for her girlish voice.-Early career:...
, Steve Ross
Steve Ross
Steve Ross may refer to:* Steve Ross , American movie mogul* Stephen Ross , British politician* Stephen Ross , American economist...
, Dave Frishberg
Dave Frishberg
Dave Frishberg is an American jazz pianist, vocalist and composer born in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Frishberg resisted learning classical piano as a boy, developing an interest in blues and boogie-woogie by listening to recordings by Pete Johnson and Jay McShann. As a teenager he played in the house...
, Bob Dorough
Bob Dorough
Bob Dorough is an American bebop and cool jazz pianist, composer and vocalese singer.He worked with Miles Davis and Allen Ginsberg, and his adventurous style was an influence on Mose Allison, among other singers...
, Andrea Marcovicci
Andrea Marcovicci
Andrea Louisa Marcovicci is an American actress and singer.- Biography :Marcovicci was born in Manhattan, New York City, the daughter of Helen , a singer, and Eugen Marcovicci, a physician and internist of Romanian descent. In her teens, she decided that she wanted to be a singer, but instead...
and Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, as well as jazz pianists Teddy Wilson
Teddy Wilson
Theodore Shaw "Teddy" Wilson was an American jazz pianist whose sophisticated and elegant style was featured on the records of many of the biggest names in jazz, including Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald.-Biography:Wilson was born in Austin, Texas in...
, Dave McKenna
Dave McKenna
Dave McKenna was a jazz pianist. He was known for his "three-handed swing" and was a leading proponent of solo piano style.-Biography:...
and Roger Kellaway
Roger Kellaway
Roger Kellaway is an American composer, arranger, and pianist.Born in Waban, Massachusetts, he is an alumnus of the New England Conservatory...
.
During the period 1987-89, Dominic studied composition with Konrad Boehmer
Konrad Boehmer
Konrad Boehmer is a Dutch composer and writer of German birth.Boehmer was born in Berlin. His music reflects his Marxist political agenda, which is made explicit in many of his writings from the late 1960s and 1970s...
and Frederic Rzewski
Frederic Rzewski
Frederic Anthony Rzewski is an American composer and virtuoso pianist.- Biography :Rzewski began playing piano at age 5. He attended Phillips Academy, Harvard and Princeton, where his teachers included Randall Thompson, Roger Sessions, Walter Piston and Milton Babbitt...
at the Royal Dutch Conservatory of Music in the Hague. In 1988 he was invited by the Studio for Electro-Instrumental Music in Amsterdam (STEIM) to develop a performance using live electronics and the Yamaha MIDI Grand Piano. He then toured Europe during 1989-91 giving concerts using the revolutionary Yamaha
Yamaha
Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
MIDI Grand Piano, culminating in an ambient piano album Night Music for Lumina Records.
In 1996 he launched the record label, Canzona Music, to record a series of vocal-jazz albums: Turn Out The Stars - the songs of Bill Evans
Bill Evans
William John Evans, known as Bill Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists including: Chick Corea, Herbie...
, If Love Were All - the songs of Noël Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
and Watch What Happens - the songs of Michel Legrand
Michel Legrand
Michel Jean Legrand is a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist...
. His albums feature many of the UK's jazz musicians: Claire Martin
Claire Martin
Claire Martin is the name of:* Claire Martin , Canadian author* Claire Martin , British-born meteorologist who now lives in Canada* Claire Martin , English jazz singerSee also:* Clare Martin, Australian politician...
(vocals), Geoff Gascoyne (bass), Dave Ohm (drums), Adam Glasser (harmonica), Tim Garland
Tim Garland
Tim Garland is a British jazz saxophonist, composer and band-leader. He is also known for his innovative bass clarinet playing and for his prolific output as composer, blurring the boundaries between modern jazz and classical concert music.As a performer, he has worked widely both in Britain and...
(saxophone), Alec Dankworth
Alec Dankworth
Alec Dankworth is an English jazz bassist and composer.Dankworth was born in London, the son of John Dankworth and Cleo Laine. He grew up in the villages of Aspley Guise and Wavendon, living at the Old Rectory, Wavendon, where his parents established the Wavendon All-Music Plan which includes the...
(bass), Clark Tracey
Clark Tracey
Clark Tracey is an English jazz drummer. He is the son of Stan Tracey.Tracey played piano and vibraphone before switching to drums at age 13, studying under Bryan Spring. Tracey played in several ensembles with his father, including in a quartet called Fathers and Sons with John and Alec Dankworth...
(drums), Colin Oxley (guitar), Iain Ballamy
Iain Ballamy
Iain Ballamy is a British composer, soprano, alto and tenor saxophone player.- Career :Ballamy was schooled at 1975-80 George Abbot School, Guildford. He then studied Musical Instrument Technology from 1980-1982 Merton College...
(saxophone), Malcolm Creese (bass) and Martin France
Martin France
Martin France is an English jazz drummer based in London. He has been the rhythmic backbone on more than 60 albums working with some of the world's finest musicians....
(drums). All albums on Canzona Music are distributed by New Note.
In 2002 he formed an octet comprising four jazz soloists and a classical string quartet: Iain Ballamy
Iain Ballamy
Iain Ballamy is a British composer, soprano, alto and tenor saxophone player.- Career :Ballamy was schooled at 1975-80 George Abbot School, Guildford. He then studied Musical Instrument Technology from 1980-1982 Merton College...
(saxophone), Malcolm Creese (bass), Martin France
Martin France
Martin France is an English jazz drummer based in London. He has been the rhythmic backbone on more than 60 albums working with some of the world's finest musicians....
(drums) and the Pavao Quartet. Together, they undertook a UK tour sponsored by the Arts Council of England, in a programme of Dominic’s contemporary arrangements of themes from classic French films, such as A Man and a Woman, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Jules et Jim and Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, as well as songs by film composer Michel Legrand
Michel Legrand
Michel Jean Legrand is a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist...
. Concert venues included the Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...
(London), the Adrian Boult Hall
Adrian Boult Hall
The Adrian Boult Hall is the main concert hall of the Birmingham Conservatoire in central Birmingham, England. It is named after the conductor Adrian Boult....
(Birmingham) and the Queen’s Hall (Edinburgh). This led to a fourth album on the Canzona Music label: Themes From French Cinema.
For the last 10 years, Dominic has also cultivated a career as a business speaker, exploring music as a metaphor for the world of business. In 2001, he founded Music & Management to launch a range of musical presentations for executive training programs. His client-base is now worldwide and he makes frequent trips to New York, San Francisco, Shanghai, Bangkok, Brussels, Barcelona and Paris to speak about the power of music.
Dominic is on the staff at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
in London, where he gives classes in improvisation for classical pianists and opera singers. In 2006, he directed “Jazz Singing for Classical Singers”, a two-day masterclass at the RAM. He has also written two books, "A Classical Approach to Jazz Piano Harmony" and "A Classical Approach to Jazz Piano Improvisation", both published by the Hal Leonard Corporation.
Dominic was born into a family of classical musicians; his mother is a violinist and his father choral conductor John Alldis
John Alldis
John Alldis was an English chorus-master and conductor.After his education at Felsted, Alldis studied as a choral scholar under Boris Ord at King's College, Cambridge, from 1949 to 1952....
. Consequently, he has always maintained an interest in classical music and now divides his time between lecturing, jazz and conducting orchestras. In 2000 he was made an Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
.
Discography
- NIGHT MUSIC -- Lumina Music, 1989
- TURN OUT THE STARS -- The Songs of Bill Evans - Canzona Music, 1996
- IF LOVE WERE ALL -- The Songs of Noel Coward - Canzona Music
- WATCH WHAT HAPPENS -- The Songs of Michel Legrand - Canzona Music
- THEMES FROM FRENCH CINEMA -- Canzona Music