Rob Bargad – Piano (1980) – Biography
Piano, Hammond Organ, Vocals, Songwriter, Arranger, Producer, Educator b. 1962, Boston, MA, USA
Rob attended New Trier west High School in Northfield, IL, USA, where he was a member and eventually student director of the Recording Jazz Ensemble. After 1 year at Indiana University, where he studied improvisation with David Baker, Rob transferred to Rutgers University and studied with Prof. Kenny Barron for 3 years. He moved to New York City in 1984, where he lived for 20 years. During that time, he played, toured, and/or recorded with such jazz luminaries as: Lionel Hampton, Little Jimmy Scott, Dakota Staton, Jimmy Cobb’s Mobb, Roy Hargrove, Peter Bernstein, Harper Brothers, Jeannie Bryson, Laverne Butler, Kevin Mahogany and more.
From 1990-2000 Rob was the pianist in the Nat Adderley Quintet, featuring at various times: Vincent Herring, Sonny Fortune, Walter Booker, Jimmy Cobb, Junior Cook, Antonio Hart, Marc Gross, Donald Harrison, James Genus and Billy Drummond – touring the USA, Europe and Japan and recording 8 CDs.
Rob’s original songs have been recorded by him, and other artists, on several CDs and used in several films.
Rob moved to Europe in 2004 – first to Germany, then Austria.
His ongoing Hammond organ projects include JOHNSON 3! and OHRGELD RIO. His latest piano project is THE NEW RB TRIO. His original Soul/Rock songwriting project “TRUTH” was recorded with his band FLOZELL on his own label, Barnette Records.
Recently, Rob was arranger and pianist for the CD project “Knef Reloaded,” Jazz interpretations of the songs of Hildegarde Knef and he has just completed arranging and producing the just released CD: “Wos Mochts Schon Aus” for Carinthian Pop music artist nmmk. (Natalie Krainer).
Since 2016 he has toured Japan with New York guitarist Tsutomu Nakai as well as with Vienna saxophonist Herwig Gradischnig and Tokyo based trumpeter Keiji Matsushima; played with Polish saxophonist, Sylwester Ostrowski and has appeared on CD and in several concerts with renown Kansas City vocalist Deborah Brown. He was pianist/arranger for Austrian humorist and singer Christian Hölbling and recorded a recent New York Jazz project with REUNION 7tet, featuring (former New Trier bandmate) Dave Schumacher (1978), Jerry Weldon, Joe Magnarelli, Jason Brown, Daniel Sadownick and Mike Karn.
Rob has recorded CD’s, as leader and sideman, for labels such as: Fantasy, Criss Cross, Alfa Jazz, Sunnyside, Sweet Basil, Chesky, Challenge, Central Station and Barnette.
In 2005 Rob became Prof. of Jazz Piano at Kärntner Landeskonservatorium and as of school year 2019/20 is Senior Lecturer at Gustav Mahler Privatuniversität für Musik in Klagenfurt, Carinthia, Southern Austria, where he teaches jazz piano and improvisation and directs three student ensembles. He lives with his family near Klagenfurt.