Debbie Poryes - Jazz Pianist, Composer, Teacher: Home
Steady Gig! For the New Year, I am switching to playing every Wednesday and Saturday from 7:00-9:00 at Pican Restaurant in Oakland. I absolutely LOVE this gig. I am happily sitting, playing tunes I know and learning new tunes every week. Come and have a little drink, or bite to eat, listen, chat with friends, say hi for sure. See Calendar page for details.
I'm still celebrating my new CD, "Two and Fro," released on OA2 Records, a duo with the AMAZING multi woodwind player Bruce Williamson. It's getting tons of radio airplay around the country, and made it into the top 200 on the national Jazzweek chart. Bruce plays gorgeous flute, soulful alto and stunning soprano sax, ghostly clarinet and bass clarinet bass lines. We play a couple of originals and creative arrangements to standards and jazz tunes plus a Beatles tune. The music was beautifully recorded by Bruce Mishkit at his Deva Studios in Lafayette, and the thoughtful liner notes are by Mark Levine, the highly respected author of "The Jazz Piano Book. "And you can buy it now all over the place! Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, CDUniverse, lots of places. Just search my name and "Two and Fro." And you can hear clips on my Listen page.
And old but still good news-----my 2010 CD "Catch Your Breath" on OA2 Records (a division of Origin Records), was #16 on the national Jazzweek chart for April 5 after only 3 weeks of release! Famous Jazz critic and educator Herb Wong wrote the liner notes and said "Debbie Poryes and her infectious gifts as an abundantly creative jazz pianist-composer-arranger points out her distinctive identity among the huge crowd of excellent pianists. Easily perceptible is her genuine, spirited exuberance for the music, the piano, and the open interaction with her bandmates - a standout quality of her engagingly personal and musical personality. Impressive, too, is how her swinging joyousness articulates every note she plays."
Go to my DISCOGRAPHY page to order from Pay Pal or order from one of 2400 outlets including Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iTunes, as well as the OriginArts Label site. http://www.origin-records.com/ You can also buy here in the SF Bay Area at Groove Yard in Oakland and at The Berkeley Jazzschool. See my LINKS page.
You can hear three full length clips by going to my LISTEN page. Also I've posted some of the current reviews on my PRESS/REVIEWS page. Here's a few samples.
“Debbie Poryes colors outside the lines, her quartet's style bleeding into avant-garde and high-IQ adult contemporary. Expanding the trio to a quartet with the addition of a horn, Poryes bounces between the sharp post-bop of her composition "Catch Your Breath," and the moody, Lisztian, almost Baroque figures of her interpretation of Sammy Cahn's "I Should Care." Poryes plays to challenge and compel, but never forgets to entertain. She closes the disc with her original "Lake Dream," a drowsy atonal reverie that extends from Monk to saxophonist Steve Lacy and beyond.” -All About Jazz
“Poryes' approach to arranging involves sophistication with warmth and open-ended possibilities. As a result, Amercan songbook gems like "I've Got the Sun in the Morning" and "My Heart Stood Still" sound fresh and invigorating, coupled nicely alongside the pianist's original compositions. -All About Jazz
My 2008 SOLO LIVE CONCERT DVD "In the Afternoon" is also available for purchase directly through my Pay Pal account on my DISCOGRAPHY page. It was beautifully recorded by master engineer, Bruce Mishkit, and he did a great job filming as well. We just used two angles, so you can see my hands the whole time without constant interruption. I got a nice flow going that afternoon, so the music feels connected and creative. You can sample the first tune on YouTube. Just search my name. Or you can go to my LINKS page and click on "YouTube."
My wonderful 2007 TRIO CD "A Song in Jazz" is available several places here in the San Francisco Bay Area. See LINKS and DISCOGRAPHY pages.
Critcs' Quotes about 2007 release "A Song In Jazz" “Exceptionally expressive pianist/composer, prominent on the Bay Area scene…beautifully sophisticated…” Paul Freeman, Palo Alto Daily News
“A Song in Jazz” is a ‘must have’ for those who love improvisational music interpreted with harmonic and melodic beauty using subtle dynamics.” -Lee Thomas, KCSM, the Bay Area’s Jazz station
"Poryes' playing is confident, yet playful, thoughtful, but full of life." -Brad Walseth, JazzChicago
“A stellar outing that introduces a piano trio that plays with an interactive verve and elegance…a knockout listening experience.” -Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
“Her music is pleasant and powerful at the same time and I can picture a time when musicians will claim her as a major influence.” -John Book, Music for America
You can also read more about my beloved teaching practice and read recommendations from my students under "TEACHING/REFERENCES". I teach near Oakland, Berkeley, Orinda, Lafayette, Walnut Creek, Alameda, and San Francisco. And please check out my 2007 E-presskit on the "LINKS" page. I still have to update it for 2011!
