Dan DeChellis - piano/keyboard

Dan DeChellis first came to the attention of the improvised/new music world in 1996 with the release of his solo debut Shapes on the Sachimay label. This recording earned him immediate critical praise and led to appearances throughout the Northeast. Since then DeChellis has released five more CDs on Sachimay and has continued to increase his reputation as one of today's busiest and most compelling improvisers. Whether performing solo or accompanied by voice, electronics, or acoustic instruments, he masterfully combines standard piano virtuosity with extended technique and explosive bursts of energy.

Born October 14,1970, DeChellis grew up in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. He began piano studies at age five and quickly became interested in a diverse range of musical styles. From 1989 to 1993 he attended Appalachian State University, then continued to hone his piano skills at the Masters level at Duquesne University (1993-95). At the New England Conservatory (1996-97) he worked closely with legendary composer/pianist Ran Blake and improviser Masashi Harada.

DeChellis cites influences as diverse as Paul Bley, Brian Eno, and the music of Anton Webern, and in his own work seeks to blur the boundaries between contemporary classical and improvised music. He has performed as a soloist, leader, and sideman at Tonic, the Knitting Factory, and ABC No Rio (New York), the Middle East, Sculler's Jazz Club, Harvard University, and the Autumn Uprising Festival (Boston/Cambridge), the Red Room (Baltimore), the Big Sur Experimental Music Festival (California), and many other venues, and has collaborated with numerous fine musicians, including Gerry Hemingway, Sabir Mateen, Toshi Makihara, Peter Erskine, Masashi Harada, Philip Tomasic, Tatsuya Nakatani, and Bhob Rainey. In 2002, he was one of the founders of New York's Improvised and Otherwise Festival. His recordings have been reviewed in Cadence, Signal to Noise, and Keyboard Magazine.

Discography

Red Rooms
Twenty Minutes in Brooklyn 5-4-'03 Chainworks: Dan DeChellis / Brian Moran / Matt Hannafin (Sachimay)

1-8 in 1
The Focus Quintet: Dan DeChellis / Anita DeChellis / Ernesto Diaz-Infante / Chris Forsyth / Jeff Arnal (Sachimay)

The Dirigibles Between Similarities
Dan DeChellis / Jeff Arnal (Sachimay)

Chamber Music
Dan DeChellis Chamber Ensemble: Dan DeChellis / Anita DeChellis / James Coleman / Kat Hernandez / Gary Fieldman (Sachimay)

Real Time
Dan DeChellis / Philip Tomasic / Tatsuya Nakatani (Sachimay)

Shapes
Improvisations & compositions for solo piano (Sachimay)

Please visit www.dandechellis.com