"...an innovative force in jazz, a pianist of the highest caliber, a creative composer and improviser, and one of those rare musicians who stretches the art form even as he honors the established traditions." AllAboutJazz

Jim Ridl is a jazz pianist, composer, arranger and teacher in the New York City area. He performs internationally and nationally with the Jim Ridl Trio and Quintet, vocalist JD Walter, guitarist Ximo Tebar, trombonist Scott Reeves, guitarist Sheryl Bailey, trumpeter and vocalist Nate Birkey, violinist Diane Monroe, the Dave Liebman Big Band, the Denis DiBlasio Quintet, and the Antfarm Quartet.

Jim has 5 critically acclaimed cd releases: Your Cheatin’ Heart and Other Works on the Dreambox Media Label; Door In a Field(DBM); Jim Ridl Trio/Live (DBM); Blues Liberations - Solo Piano (DBM); and Five Minutes to Madness and Joy (Synergy Music).

Jim’s tenure with jazz guitar legend Pat Martino received many critically acclaimed reviews of performances around the world and produced 3 outstanding recordings Interchange, Night Wings and The Maker. Jim’s inventive arrangement of the Sonny Rollins' classic Oleo can be heard on the Grammy-nominated release Pat Martino Live at Yoshi’s with Joey DeFrancesco and Billy Hart. Jim’s composition Sun On My Hands can be heard on Martino’s Grammy-nominated release Think Tank in duet with Gonzalo Rubalcaba.

Jim is a member of the Dave Liebman Big Band, whose recording Beyond the Line is on the Omnitone label. (Jim also can be heard on vocalist JD Walter's collaboration with Liebman, Clear Day on Doubletime.) Jim has also performed and recorded extensively with baritone saxophonist, Denis DiBlasio. They have recorded 6 CDs together and have performed most major jazz festivals and venues in the region.

Additionally, Jim has performed and/or recorded with Randy Brecker, Marc Johnson, James Moody, Slide Hampton, Clark Terry, Mickey Roker, Billy Hart, Mark Murphy, Ravi Coltrane, the Woody Herman Orchestra, the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, Bill Stewart, Rich Matteson, Marko Marcinko, Tim Horner, Ralph Bowen, Donny McCaslin, Mark Walker, Jean Michel Pilc, Dick and Ted Nash, Ari Hoenig, Jimmy Bruno, Tim Warfield, Terrell Stafford, Vic Juris, Paul Nash, Carla Cook, Francois Moutin, Bruce Williamson, Matt Wilson, Sherman Ferguson, Tyrone Brown,...

As a teacher, Jim has taught piano for over 25 years. He has conducted piano master classes at the University of the Arts (Philadelphia, PA), Metropolitan State College (Denver, CO), the University of Toledo as the Art Tatum Scholarship Artist in Residence (Toledo, OH) and West Chester University (West Chester, PA).

Jim was raised on a farm and ranch in North Dakota, and discovered his love for piano and jazz at an early age. He attended college at the University of Colorado at Denver, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Scoring and Arranging, and was awarded its Student Achievement Award for composing "Ocean Sojourn," an orchestral tone poem which he performed with the Denver Symphony Orchestra, James Setapen, conducting.

He is listed in the Who's Who of American Colleges and Universities. In Denver, Jim began his professional career performing and touring with local and nationally-recognized musicians, including the Grammy-nominated vocal jazz group, Rare Silk. In 1990, Jim moved to the East Coast to be part of its great music scene.

Thursday, Jan 12

Tim Horner Quintet 

CD RELEASE EVENT “THE PLACES WE FEEL FREE”

TIM HORNER, MARC MOMMAAS

JIM RIDL, JOHN HART, MARTIN WIND

www.Kitano.com @ 66 Park Avenue @ 38th St., NY

Sunday, Jan 15

The Blue Note Brunch 12:30 and 2:30pm

with vocalist Janis Mann, with Jim Ridl, Dean Johnson and Tim Horner

Monday, Jan 16

Jim Ridl Trio @ Smalls Jazz Club, NYC

7:30 - 9:45pm

with Tom DiCarlo and Tim Horner