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Bill O'Connell
Biography
A veteran post-bop/Latin jazz/hard bop pianist from New York City, the Bill O'Connell profiled in this bio should not be confused with the swing/bop drummer who has led the Chicago Skyliners Big Band in the Windy City in the '90s and 2000s; nor should he be confused with rock manager Billy O'Connell, who is married to singer/songwriter Kristin Hersh (formerly of the alternative pop/rock group Throwing Muses). Pianist O'Connell has his share of Latin credentials; along the way, he has played with New York trumpeter Jerry Gonzalez's Fort Apache Band and crossed paths with flutist Dave Valentin, Argentinean tenor saxophonist Gato Barbieri, and the late Cuban percussion master Mongo Santamaria. But O'Connell has not played Latin jazz exclusively; the major non-Latin artists who have employed the pianist as a sideman over the years include, among others, tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins and the late trumpeter Chet Baker.

As a pianist, O'Connell is known for a lyrical approach that owes something to Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, and Chick Corea as well as Herbie Hancock. But it should be stressed that O'Connell is not the sort of jazzman who only sees himself as a soloist; in fact, his albums have underscored his talents as an arranger, bandleader, and composer.
Selected Discography