12 PERCENT - TRIP 4 from Parker Shper on Vimeo. Montreal-based Pianist/Composer/Producer Parker Shper electrifies audiences with his genre-defying conception of the Piano and electronic instruments. His sounds are unique and identifiable as his own. Psychedelic soundscapes, minimalist tape machine drones, analog synths, and kaleidoscoping modern piano shapes form a patchwork of compelling music, rich in harmony and rhythm.
Growing up in rural Vermont, Parker Shper’s musical talent came into focus very early. At age three he began picking out chords and melodies on his family’s upright piano, learning by ear while his parent’s eclectic cassette tape collection played on the stereo. Professional musicians in the circle of family and close friends further influenced his passion for the piano. He quickly progressed through a repertoire of advanced classical piano studies. At age fourteen he began playing gigs professionally and at age sixteen he occupied the piano chair of the Vermont Youth Orchestra and the Vermont All-State Jazz Orchestra. In the 2000s and 2010s Parker was a frequent bandleader and collaborator with a variety of different creative acts, performing at jazz clubs, rock clubs, concert halls and music festivals around the world. In 2006 he was accepted with scholarship honors to the B. Music Jazz Piano Performance program at McGill University in Montreal. Working here on rigorous technical piano studies, harmony and composition with Prof. Jan Jarczyk. On another scholarship in 2007-2008, Parker studied for one year with the legendary bassist and composer Anders Jormin (ECM) on a student exchange to the Academy of Music at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. In 2008-2010 he returned to live once again in Montreal to continue his studies at Mcgill. Additionally, Parker has studied piano and tonal theory with the piano master, Fullbright Scholar and NYC New School Professor, Armen Donelian. Shper’s sought-after sound as a musician and composer has made him a fixture of the experimental indie music scene, working with a wide range of artists such as Richard Reed Parry (Arcade Fire), Leif Vollebekk, Craig Finn (The Holdsteady), Susie Ibarra, Yuka Honda (Cibo Matto), Anais Mitchell, The Barr Brothers, Trey Anastasio, Beatrice Deer, Nomadic Massive, Akil the MC (Jurassic 5), Little Scream, Georgia Anne Muldrow and many more across the US, Canada, UK, Europe & Scandinavia. His contributions as a pianist/composer/producer appear on dozens of recordings, film soundtracks and commissioned works since 1998. Shper’s experimental piano /ambient /electronic EP is due out in fall of 2023, with his new full-length Album to follow in Spring 2024. If he’s not out on tour, or perhaps doing a recording session in a city somewhere, he’s working at his home studio in the woods north of Montreal. https://parkershper.bandcamp.com/ weebly.com/parkershper PAST PERFORMANCES MONTREAL INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL, Montreal QC ICELAND AIRWAVES, Reykjavic ICELAND NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL, RI, USA HOWARD STERN SHOW, Sirius Satellite Network, New York NY LEVON HELM STUDIOS, Woodstock NY MASSEY HALL, TORONTO CMJ MUSIC MARATHON, New York NY WORLD CAFE LIVE, MAINSTAGE, Philadelphia PA SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST, Austin TX RIDEAU HALL, Ottawa ON LE BOUL NOIR, Paris, FRANCE EKKO, Utrecht, Holland HOT CLUB DE JAZZ - Lyon France DISCOVER JAZZ FESTIVAL, Burlington VT METROPOLIS, Montreal QC CALGARY FOLK FESTIVAL, Calgary AB SMALLS JAZZ CLUB, New York NY THE ROCK SHOP, Park Slope, Brooklyn NYC THE LILY PAD, Cambridge MA THE IRON HORSE, North-Hampton MA SIREN FESTIVAL FOR NEW MUSIC, Sweden THE HOPKINS CENTER at DARTMOUTH COLLEGE, Hanover NH THEATRE OUTREMONT, Montreal QC FLYNN THEATRE MAINSTAGE, Burlington VT HIGHER GROUND MAINSTAGE, Burlington VT NEFERTITI JAZZ CLUB, Gothenburg Sweden SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY THE BRIGHTNESS - Anais Mitchell - Righteous Babe Records 2007 8 PERCENT - 8 Percent - Self-Released - 2008 LESS IS MORE - Strength In Numbers - Love For All Music 2009 ALL FOR LOVE - Bryan McNamara Quartet - Love For All Music 2009 \ AND ALL THE TIGERS - The Hoof And The Heel - Self-Released 2009 CONFLUENCE - Strength In Numbers - Love For All Music 2010 INNER CIRCLE - Bryson Barnes - Self Released 2010 KALMUNITY JAZZ PROJECT - Self Released - 2010 WORTH IT - Sarah MK - Sarah MK Music -2011 LIVE AT NECTARS - Groundfood - Self-Released - 2012 WORLDS AWAY SOUNDTRACK - James Cameron & Cirque Du Soleil - 2012 BORROWED TIME - Leif Vollebekk - Outside Music - 2013 TURNING ROCKS - Thus Owls - Secret City Records 2014 GESAMKUNSTWERK - Dead Obies - Bonsound 2016 CULT FOLLOWING - Little Scream - Merge Records - 2016 ROBINSON MORSE'S SOUND OF MIND - Enough is Plenty - 2017 PATRICK WATSON THE BARR BROTHERS – Live - Secret City Records 2017 JOE BEL - Dreams - La Ruche - France 2018 BEATRICE DEER - MY ALL TO YOU - 2018 EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND: Classical Piano Studies with Sylvia Parker Prof. UVM from 1989 to 2002 Classical and Technical Piano Studies with Alison Cheroff from 2003 – 2008 Jazz Piano and Theory Studies with Armen Donelian (New School University, NYC) McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, Montreal Quebec. Composition& Jazz Piano Studies with Jan Jarczyck, Jeff Johnston Academy Of Music at the University Of Gothenburg, Sweden. Piano Performance/Composition Composition/Piano Studies with Anders Jormin, Lars Jansson, Peter Burman |
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