Jazz pianist
Ethan Iverson's classically informed writing and playing rivals that of the far more famous
Brad Mehldau. Claiming influences as disparate as
Stravinsky and
Ornette Coleman, the Wisconsin-raised
Iverson has displayed great potential at a rather young age. In 1991, he relocated to New York, eventually beginning private studies with
Fred Hersch and Sofia Rosoff. He made his recording debut in 1993 at age 20 with
School Work, a disc which featured tenor saxophone giant
Dewey Redman. Iverson has since worked extensively with
Reid Anderson,
Mark Turner,
Bill McHenry, and
Patrick Zimmerli, among others. In addition, he has served as musical director for the Mark Morris Dance Group, and in that capacity has performed with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Yo Yo Ma. In 1998, Iverson's trio released
Construction Zone (Originals) and
Deconstruction Zone (Standards) in tandem, with the latter being hailed by a New York Times critic as a top-ten pick for that year. A 1999 follow-up,
The Minor Passions, featured the famous drummer
Billy Hart and was similarly hailed by the Times. ~ David R. Adler, All Music Guide