Piano + Keyboards

Chicago

Chicago pianist Pat Leary is dedicated to his craft. But his playing might lead listeners to believe he’s been playing all his life. While he began lessons at six, he abandoned the instrument in favor of the guitar when he was growing up. He rediscovered the full range of possibilities 88 keys can offer in his early twenties, after being deeply moved by pianists like Bill Evans and Glenn Gould.

Leary says he locked himself in his room for five years. In that time, he studied everyone from Bach to Ravel and Wynton Kelly to Bud Powell. Only after spending years of studying and practicing, Leary's own music began to blossom. In the past few years, he put together and released two records: His first entry in impressionistic solo piano works, called Vol. 1, which Chicago Public Radio said is “a calming and contemplative experience” saying the collection of improvised pieces “are sure to soothe the soul."

He also polished a set of improvisations with percussionist Alex Santilli (Late Nite Laundry, Thee Sacred Souls, and KAINA) and bassist Jeff Wheaton (Isaiah Collier, Angel Bat Dawid), simply called TRIO, which included an interpretation of Miles Davis’ “Solar.” Alt-weekly Chicago Reader said it best, “it's an intriguing mix of cocktail-bar sophistication and drifting, moody jazz fusion, and it would've fit in fine on the Blue Note roster in the late 60s."