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1701 North State Street Jackson, MS 39210-0001 (800)352-1050 (601)974-1000
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Willis Delony (piano) has won national and international acclaim as a jazz and classical pianist, conductor, chamber player, commercial composer, and arranger. His concert explorations of the jazz and classical piano worlds have been showcased in a recording entitled, A New World A' Comin' - Classical and Jazz Connections, which was released on the Centaur label and is now in worldwide distribution. In a review published by Fanfare magazine, Peter Burwasser writes: "(Delony) plays with gusto and finesse, and with an especially nimble rhythmic sensibility, a proper combination of attributes for jazz, or any other kind of music-making, for that matter." Previous album credits include a recording of sonatas by Samuel Barber and Sergei Prokofiev, also on the Centaur label, and a jazz album entitled Civilized Conversations, featuring Delony and bassist Bill Grimes. His newest release is a collaboration with bassoonist William Ludwig entitled Rhapsody in Bassoon on the Mark Records label, which features the world premiere recording of André Previn's Sonata for Bassoon and Piano.
During recent concert seasons, Delony has appeared as piano soloist or conductor with orchestras in Wichita, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Toronto, Madison (Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra), Spartanburg (South Carolina), Rochester, Omaha, Nashville, Fort Worth, Shanghai and New Orleans (Louisiana Philharmonic). This season he has appeared as guest soloist with the Columbus (GA) Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic and Toledo Symphony, and as guest conductor/pianist with the Fort Worth Symphony, the Lexington (KY) Philharmonic and the Midland (TX) Symphony. He continues to be a frequent recitalist in many national venues, and presents master classes in both classical piano and jazz at schools and universities throughout the U.S. An experienced arranger, Delony's scores have been performed by pops orchestras nationwide. His work as pianist, arranger and conductor is currently featured in Club Swing, the popular orchestral show featuring the Minneapolis-based vocal group Five By Design. He is also the conductor/pianist on the CD recording of Club Swing, which was released in January 2002.
Bill Grimes (double bass) is a widely respected virtuoso performer. He has worked with such jazz legends as Joe Pass, Monty Alexander, McCoy Tyner, Phil Woods and Bill Dobbins. He has made numerous recordings, including an album entitled Dream Dancing, featuring his own trio, and a duo album with pianist Willis Delony entitled Civilized Conversations.
Grimes is one of the nation's leading pops orchestra arrangers and conductors, with more than 100 scores to his credit. He is a regular conductor with the Huntsville (AL) Symphony, and has led the Minnesota Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and Baton Rouge Symphony on many occasions. He arranged and conducted an album of Gershwin classics, S'Wonderful, which featured trombonist Harry Watters, the Czech Philharmonic, and The Beach Boys.
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