Steve Holt (Canadian musician)
Encyclopedia
Steve Holt is a Canadian
musician
.
Steve Holt exhibited musical ability in early childhood, playing piano at the age of four. In 1960 his family moved to Cote St. Luc and during these formative years he spent long hours at the piano. By the time he was a teenager, Holt was a regular on the Montreal
club scene. He remained self-taught until the age of 22, when he entered McGill University
to study jazz
with pianist Armas Maiste. During this period, Holt also became a private student of jazz pianist Kenny Barron
, traveling monthly to New York City
for private instruction at Barron’s home. Holt graduated from McGill in 1981 with that university’s first-ever Bachelor of Music
majoring in Jazz
Performance
, and continued to teach at McGill. In 1983, Holt released his debut album
, The Lion's Eyes. The LP
received international critical acclaim and won a JUNO
nomination for Best Jazz
Album. Holt subsequently worked with many of the jazz legends of the time, including Larry Coryell
, James Moody
, Michal Urbaniak
, Eddie Vinson
and Archie Shepp
.
During the 1990s Holt also rose to prominence as a top-ranked equity analyst, balancing both his music and business careers as separate endeavors. However, in a rare convergence of careers, Holt hosted a conference for institutional investors at Scotia Capital in 1999, called “Music
& The Internet
”, which featured key music industry executives, where Holt foretold of the coming music piracy problem and looming structural demise of the recorded music industry. In 1999 Holt was ranked by Greenwich Associates the #1 Consumer Products analyst in Canada.
• 1983: Steve Holt - The Lion’s Eyes (Plug)
• 1991: Steve Holt - Christmas Light (Inner Music)
• 1992: Steve Holt & Kieran Overs – Just Duet (Sackville)
• 1993: Steve Holt - Catwalk (Sackville)
• 2001: Steve Holt – The Dream (Trilogy)
Singles
• 2002: We Need You (Trilogy)
• 2002: Just To be with You (Trilogy)
• 2003: Soon (Trilogy)
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
.
Steve Holt exhibited musical ability in early childhood, playing piano at the age of four. In 1960 his family moved to Cote St. Luc and during these formative years he spent long hours at the piano. By the time he was a teenager, Holt was a regular on the Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
club scene. He remained self-taught until the age of 22, when he entered McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
to study jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
with pianist Armas Maiste. During this period, Holt also became a private student of jazz pianist Kenny Barron
Kenny Barron
Kenny Barron , is an American jazz pianist. He is the younger brother of tenor saxophonist Bill Barron, and known for his lyrical, adaptive style.-Biography:...
, traveling monthly to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for private instruction at Barron’s home. Holt graduated from McGill in 1981 with that university’s first-ever Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree; the majority of work consists of prescribed music courses and study in applied music, usually requiring a...
majoring in Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
Performance
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
, and continued to teach at McGill. In 1983, Holt released his debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, The Lion's Eyes. The LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
received international critical acclaim and won a JUNO
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
nomination for Best Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
Album. Holt subsequently worked with many of the jazz legends of the time, including Larry Coryell
Larry Coryell
Larry Coryell is an American jazz fusion guitarist.-Biography:Coryell was born in Galveston, Texas. He graduated from Richland High School, in Richland, Washington, where he played in local bands The Jailers, The Rumblers, The Royals, and The Flames. He also played with The Checkers from nearby...
, James Moody
James Moody (saxophonist)
James Moody was an American jazz saxophone and flute player. He was best known for his hit "Moody's Mood for Love," an improvisation based on "I'm in the Mood for Love"; in performance, he often improvised vocals for the tune.-Biography:James Moody was born in Savannah, Georgia...
, Michal Urbaniak
Michal Urbaniak
Michał Urbaniak is a Polish jazz musician and composer born in Warsaw, playing mainly the violin, lyricon and saxophone during concerts and recordings...
, Eddie Vinson
Eddie Vinson
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson was an American jump blues, jazz, bebop and R&B alto saxophonist and blues shouter. He was nicknamed Cleanhead after an incident in which his hair was accidentally destroyed by lye contained in a hair straightening product.-Biography:Vinson was born in Houston, Texas...
and Archie Shepp
Archie Shepp
Archie Shepp is a prominent African-American jazz saxophonist. Shepp is best known for his passionately Afrocentric music of the late 1960s, which focused on highlighting the injustices faced by the African-Americans, as well as for his work with the New York Contemporary Five, Horace Parlan, and...
.
During the 1990s Holt also rose to prominence as a top-ranked equity analyst, balancing both his music and business careers as separate endeavors. However, in a rare convergence of careers, Holt hosted a conference for institutional investors at Scotia Capital in 1999, called “Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
& The Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
”, which featured key music industry executives, where Holt foretold of the coming music piracy problem and looming structural demise of the recorded music industry. In 1999 Holt was ranked by Greenwich Associates the #1 Consumer Products analyst in Canada.
Discography
Albums• 1983: Steve Holt - The Lion’s Eyes (Plug)
• 1991: Steve Holt - Christmas Light (Inner Music)
• 1992: Steve Holt & Kieran Overs – Just Duet (Sackville)
• 1993: Steve Holt - Catwalk (Sackville)
• 2001: Steve Holt – The Dream (Trilogy)
Singles
• 2002: We Need You (Trilogy)
• 2002: Just To be with You (Trilogy)
• 2003: Soon (Trilogy)