About

Dan Tepfer, born in Paris to American parents and based in New York City, is “a pianist of extraordinary technique and fearless harmonic sensibility” (JazzTimes). He has performed globally with leading figures in jazz and classical music, from Lee Konitz to Renée Fleming, and has released twelve albums as leader in solo, duo, and trio formats.
Tepfer gained international recognition with his 2011 release Goldberg Variations / Variations, where he performed and improvised on Bach’s masterpiece, to “elegant, thoughtful, and thrilling” effect (New York magazine). In 2019, he revisited his undergraduate studies in astrophysics in the video album Natural Machines, where he explored in real time the intersection of digital algorithms and the rhythms of the heart. The New York Times has described him as a “deeply rational improviser drawn to the unknown.” In 2023, he returned to Bach with Inventions / Reinventions, which topped the Billboard Classical Charts.

Music

I’ve been making music for as long as I can remember — it’s always been my primary mode of expression. I grew up studying classical piano and obsessively improvising jazz at home. For most of my creative life, I’ve navigated the divide between these two worlds, though at this point my deepest roots lie in jazz and improvisation. I’ve been lucky to get to make music with some of the very best musicians in the jazz community, from Lee Konitz to Pharoah Sanders via Mark Turner and Paul Motian.

The truth, however, is that style has never felt all that important to me. I grew up bilingual, raised in France by an American family, which may explain why I’ve always been much more attached to content than to form, more concerned with what’s being said than the language in which it’s being expressed. As a result, I’ve grown increasingly drawn to exploring different means of expression for my music in order to further isolate the message from the medium.

Upcoming groupmuses

• 

  Living room

  Salon 58 Features Ben Wendel / Dan Tepfer Duo

  Friday, May 16 7:30 PM EDT

  • Neighborhood: Midtown - Carnegie Hall area
  • Price: $60 tickets ($55 for Supermusers)

  Spots available