About
Joseph Block is a jazz pianist, composer, and arranger from Philadelphia, PA.
Joe currently lives and studies in New York City at Columbia University and the Juilliard School. He began playing piano at the age of 3, initially studying classical piano with Susan Starr and Harvey Wedeen before switching to jazz in middle school. He participated in many of Philadelphia’s wonderful jazz education programs, primarily at the Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts, the Kimmel Center’s Creative Music Program, and Temple University. He regularly performs at many venues throughout the Philadelphia area, including the Kimmel Center, the Clef Club, South Jazz Parlor, Chris’ Jazz Café, @exuberance, and the Mann Music Center. Joe was the 2017 YoungArts Jazz Piano National Finalist. In addition, he is a two-time alum of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Summer Jazz Academy and a three-time alum of the annual Berklee City Music Network Summit. He is also the co-founder and leader of the Philadelphia Ambassador Big Band.
Joe currently studies privately with Frank Kimbrough at Juilliard and plans to major in American Studies at Columbia. He hopes to bring his talent and creativity to the diverse New York jazz scene.
Hailed one of “jazz’s most promising young composers” by Jazz at Lincoln Center, Joe is a skilled writer and arranger in both the jazz and classical fields.
He has been commissioned to write jazz arrangements by organizations such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Kimmel Center, and Harvard University. He won the 2016 J. Douglas White Essentially Ellington Composition Competition and received an Honorable Mention recognition for jazz composition by the National YoungArts Foundation. Joe has written and arranged for various professional jazz ensembles including the Philadelphia Ambassador Big Band, the Wynton Marsalis Septet, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, and the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia with Terell Stafford. In addition to jazz, Joe composes music for musical theatre, film, and drama. He has previously studied classical composition with Dr. Andrew Westerhaus.
Schedule
6/19/18, 7pm
La Cour Art Bistro and Cabaret
Denver, CO
Liam Broderick Quintet
6/22/18, 6pm
Spangalang Brewery
Denver, CO
Rico Jones Quartet
6/24/18, 6pm
Birdland
315 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036
Benny Benack III ft. the DW Jazz Orchestra
6/27/18, 7-10pm
Chef Ken’s Cafe
7135 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19119
Cedric Napoleon Trio
7/7/18, 6:30-9:30pm
Hewn Spirits
42 Peddlers Village, Lahaska, PA 18931
Quartet with Dylan Band, Dylan Reis, and Lucas Ebeling
7/12/18, 9:00-11:00pm
Spectrum
70 Flushing Avenue, Garage A, Brooklyn, New York 11205
James Haddad Quintet
Past Performances
4/17 – Shrine World Music Venue – Jacob Melsha Quintet
4/21 – Columbia-Juilliard Exchange Recital – Duo with Joe Bell
4/29 – Triumph Brewing Company – Duo with Liam Sutcliffe
5/7 – Silvana – Jacob Melsha Quintet
5/10 – Bar Next Door at La Lanterna Di Vittorio – Trio with Adam Olszewski + Christian McGhee
5/11 – St. Ann’s School – Zaq Davis Senior Recital
5/17 – Sassafras – Duo with Dylan Band
5/18 – Chris’ Jazz Cafe – Philadelphia Ambassador Big Band
5/20 – Clark Park – Shyam Natarajan Sextet
5/25 – @exuberance – Joseph Block Quartet
5/28 – Del Frisco’s Steakhouse – Ben Turner Group
5/30 – Vintage Bar and Grill – Michelle Lordi and Richard Hill
6/1 – Mt. Zion Church in Devon, PA – Cedric Napoleon Trio
6/3 – Act II Playhouse – Philadelphia Ambassador Big Band
6/8 – Kimmel Center – Arranger for Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia’s performance of Holst’s “The Planets” (movement: Venus)
6/10 – Kelsey’s – Tony Day Trio
6/14 – Messiah College – Guest Speaker at Central PA Jazz Camp
6/14 – Sassafras – Duo with Ben Turner
Media
Pianist Joseph Block Live In the WRTI Performance StudioToday in the WRTI Performance Studio we are joined by 19 year old pianist and Philadelphia native Joseph Block. Joseph co-founded and leads the Philadelphia Ambassador Big Band and was the 2016 winner of the Essentially Ellington composition contest at Lincoln Center.
Posted by WRTI on Friday, 25 May 2018
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