“Bill Bares is an artist in the true sense of the word —an imaginative, inspired and joyful creator, a deeply educated, spectacular, yet organic, jazz pianist. On top of all that, Bill is a top notch educator. It’s rare to find this combination flowing so naturally from one person!” ~ Guitarist Billy Cardine
A “military brat” who ended up in Omaha, Bill was originally a good enough trumpet player to make the McDonald’s All-American Band in High School, but a freak injury to his lip in college prompted his switch to piano.
“I majored in Political Science at Amherst College, not music. While working on Capitol Hill after graduation, I would frequent D.C. clubs like Twins, Blues Alley and One Step Down. Eventually the music bug grew too strong, so I dropped everything, moved back to live with my parents in Nebraska and began the process of applying for graduate programs in music while playing in local clubs and spending a year “in the shed” —practicing six to eight hours a day.”
Bill then attended the Jazz Performance Program at the University of Miami, whose alums included Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius and Bruce Hornsby. His piano teacher, Vince Maggio, had studied with Oscar Peterson and roomed with Bill Evans. “I like to think I have a nice lineage going. Many, MANY good players were there and I got a real ass-kicking. And I came into contact with several excellent European musicians who kindled a fascination with European Jazz.”
Bill also met his German wife in Miami and after his graduation they moved to Bamberg, Germany to finish her education. “I met and played with several great Bavarian jazz musicians there, including guitarist Torsten Goods and drummer Dejan Terzic. We then moved to New York for two years where I gigged with too many musicians to count. My wife footed the bills those two years, so I could afford to go out every night to jam sessions and performances. Then I got full tuition plus a generous stipend to go to Harvard, so we moved to Boston.”
During those ten years in Boston Bill didn’t play much, as most of his time was spent writing, researching and teaching while growing a family. He taught at Harvard, Brown, the New England Conservatory, Berklee College of Music and Suffolk University. Then Bill moved to Asheville after both he and his wife were offered jobs at UNCA.
“It’s a great school and great place to raise a family. After twenty years in big cities, this is a breath of fresh air—literally. The music scene is great and our new BFA in Jazz and Contemporary Music delivers a first class education, plus opportunities for music students to get real-life experience enriching the local music scene. We’ve developed partnerships with local venues like Tressa’s, The Altamont and The Isis, all of which have featured our students.
Plus, in these two years I’ve put together several projects that have been musically fulfilling: I performed “Rhapsody in Blue” as the piano soloist with Blue Ridge Orchestra in May 2012 and will be doing it again at Diana Wortham in August with the Russ Wilson Orchestra; I recorded a trio album with Mike Holstein and a drummer from Boston; put together an innovative Radiohead Big Band concert with the UNCA Big Band; became the curator of the wildly successful Sunday Jazz Series at The Isis Music Hall which now features two shows per evening; lead one of the area’s best regarded jazz outfits The Hard Bop Explosion; there’s a new trio project called Billy the Kid and the Outlaws; and started popular ensembles at UNCA, including the “ECM Ensemble” and the upcoming “Ecojazz Ensemble. Stay tuned for more.”
“It’s a pleasure to play with a pianist who has dedicated so much time to learning the tradition of the music and the characteristics of his predecessors. I feel at home playing any style with Bill. He’s a consummate pro, a hell of an educator and a nasty pianist.” ~ Saxophonist Jacob Rodriguez