Steve Holt (Canadian musician)

Steve Holt (born 1954) is a Canadian jazz pianist.

Steve Holt

Early life and education

Born in Montreal, Quebec, in 1954, Holt exhibited musical ability in early childhood, playing piano at the age of four.[1] By the time he was a teenager, Holt was a regular on the Montreal club scene.[1]

Holt remained self-taught until he entered McGill University.[2] There, he was taught by pianist Armas Maiste, whose bebop playing influenced him.[2] Holt also became a student of Kenny Barron, traveling regularly to New York City for private lessons with the pianist.[1] Holt graduated from McGill in 1981 with that university's first Bachelor of Music major in Jazz Performance,[3] and taught jazz improvisation there.[1]

Later life and career

In 1983, Holt's debut album, The Lion's Eyes, was released.[1] It was nominated for a Juno Award.[2] He has worked with jazz musicians Larry Coryell, Eddie Henderson, and Archie Shepp.[1] Holt moved to Toronto in 1987 and worked as an equity analyst.[2] For a time, he also continued playing clubs at night.[2] Further albums were released in the 1990s: Christmas Light (1991); Just Duet (1992); and Catwalk (1994).[1]

In 1999, Holt returned to concentrating on music full-time.[1] Three years later, his fifth album, The Dream, was released.[1] He then moved into music production, and stopped performing jazz live[2] until 2014. Following a move to the countryside, his interest in jazz performance returned.[2] In 2017, he opened a health food store in Warkworth, Ontario,[4] that operates as a jazz venue once a week.[5]

Discography
  • 1983: The Lion's Eyes (Plug)
  • 1991: Christmas Light (Inner Music)
  • 1992: Just Duet (Sackville) with Kieran Overs
  • 1993: Catwalk (Sackville)
  • 2001: The Dream (Trilogy)

Singles

  • 2002: "We Need You" (Trilogy)
  • 2002: "Just to Be With You" (Trilogy)
  • 2003: "Soon" (Trilogy)

References
  1. Wilson, MacKenzie. "Steve Holt". AllMusic. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  2. Hum, Peter (April 18, 2016). "'I Feel Like I'm Fully Invested Again in Jazz': The Steve Holt Interview". Ottawa Citizen.
  3. StudentScholarships.org
  4. "Owner of "The Natural" is Jazzing up his shop in Warkworth | Trent Hills Now". Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  5. Williams, Caroline (Fall 2018). "Keeping Music Live at The Natural". Grapevine Magazine. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
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