Mary Louise Knutson

Independent Music Browse By Name

Begins with A Begins with B Begins with C Begins with D Begins with E Begins with F Begins with G Begins with H Begins with I Begins with J Begins with K Begins with L Begins with M Begins with N Begins with O Begins with P Begins with Q Begins with R Begins with S Begins with T Begins with U Begins with V Begins with W Begins with X Begins with Y Begins with Z Begins with Number

Independent Music Browse By Region

Alaska Arizona California Colorado Florida Hawaii Illinois Iowa Kansas Kentucky Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Nevada New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Rhode Island Tennessee Texas Vermont Wisconsin Canada Germany Japan Mexico United kingdom

Independent Music Browse By Style

Adult Contemporary Alternative Blues Buegrass Celtic Children Classical Comedy Country Dance Finnish Folk Gospel/CCM Holiday Jazz Native American New Age Polka Pop Rap Rock Storytelling Tex-Mex World

 

Minneapolis-based jazz pianist and composer, Mary Louise Knutson, has been called "one of the most exciting and innovative artists to happen to jazz piano in quite some time." Recently, she was selected as one of five finalists in the Kennedy Center¹s 2005 Mary Lou Williams "Women in Jazz" Pianist Competition.

Knutson¹s debut jazz trio CD, "Call Me When You Get There", charted in the Top 50 in the United States and Canada for eight consecutive weeks following its recent release, and earned Knutson the award for "Top New Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year" from KWJL Radio, Palmdale, CA, in 2001. Featured tracks include her award-winning compositions and signature arrangements of such jazz classics as "Tangerine", "Green Dolphin Street", and "Gone With the Wind" and range from the joyful lyricism of "Call Me When You Get There" to the impassioned blaze of "Meridian".

An acclaimed composer, Knutson has won numerous awards, including two from Billboard magazine for her compositions "How Will I Know?" and "Meridian". Her composition "How Will I Know?" was also recorded by Prince's horn section, the Hornheads, for their "5 Heads Are Better Than 1" release on Bone 2 B Wild Music. Chosen as the music bed for the art documentary, Wellington Lee: 60 Years of Artistic Photography, Knutson¹s composition, "Call Me When You Get There (mp3)", will soon be heard at major art museums across the country. In addition, her composition "Merle the Pearl" streams on the internet as the theme music for "Jazz Release", a recorded interview program on JazzSteps.com.

Knutson has performed with such jazz greats as Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby McFerrin, Dianne Reeves, Slide Hampton, Richie Cole, Greg Abate, Von Freeman, Billy Hart, and Richard Davis. As a show player, she has performed with such musical acts as Michael Bolton, Trisha Yearwood, Donny Osmond, Smoky Robinson, the Osmond Brothers, and comedians Phyllis Diller, Jack Carter, Rob Schneider, Kevin Nealan, Judy Tenuta, and more. And from 1994-1998, Knutson performed and toured internationally as the lead keyboardist for Synergy (formerly Rupert¹s Orchestra).

Currently she performs both in the Twin Cities and nationally, with her jazz trio or as a soloist, at clubs, festivals, and concert halls. She can also be heard backing up area favorites Connie Evingson and Debbie Duncan and freelances with a variety of instrumental groups including the JazzMN Big Band and the Doug Little Quartet.

In the Bubble Knutson's new 2011 trio release, In the Bubble, showcases her tasteful playing and arranging as well as her gift for composition. Six standards plus five originals - which range from a McCoy-ish "Can You Hear Me Now?" to an ECM style "Sea of Qi" to a gospel style "Luminous" (a bridge written for "You Are My Sunshine") - complete this highly accessible mainstream-to-modern collection. Twin Cities rhythm icons, bassist Gordon Johnson and drummer Phil Hey, are Knutson’s bandmates for the mainstream styles, which comprise half the album. Two other dynamic drummers, Greg Schutte and Craig Hara, are individually featured with Knutson and Johnson for the remaining tunes, which cover a variety of contemporary jazz styles. CD Price: $14.97

Call Me When You Get There This CD ranked in the Top 50 in the United States and Canada for eight consecutive weeks following its release, and earned Knutson the "Top New Instrumentalist of the Year" award from KWJL, Palmdale, CA, in 2001. Featured tracks include her award-winning compositions and signature arrangements of such jazz classics as "Green Dolphin Street", "Gone With the Wind", and "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" and range from the joyful lyricism of "Call Me When You Get There" to the impassioned blaze of "Meridian." CD Price: $14.97

---