“Original, true and honest . . . a musician of extremely high caliber." — pianist Stefan Karlsson of the Eddie Gomez Trio

​

“Extremely inventive in both his composition and improvisation.” —pianist and composer Dan Hearle

​

Jazz pianist and composer Tim Chernikoff has been making his mark in the New York jazz scene with a style that has stood out to musicians and listeners alike. His approach to music has been to find his own musical identity through dialogue with the jazz traditions of bebop and swing while exploring personal connections to the music, through a process of purposeful discovery on the piano and composition. Described by jazz performer Dan Haerle as “extremely inventive in his Composition and Improvisation”, his works expand upon the progressive pallet of jazz to express ideas and personal revelations, and their artistic sparks are further illuminated through his collaborative ventures.

 

   In his budding career, the up-and-coming artist has had experiences across the US performing with world class musicians— in the Bay Area California, Dallas Fort Worth Texas, and New York City.

 

Educated in the West Coast (Stanford Jazz Workshop), Southwest (North Texas) and East Coast (Manhattan School of Music) regions of the United States, Chernikoff has had a diversity of educational and professional experiences.  With sights set on honing the craft of group improvised music during his college studies, Chernikoff took his education into the academy and onto the streets, taking lessons from Stefan Karsson, Dan Haerle, Taylor Eigsti, Phil Markowitz and Gary Dial; while gigging and sitting in with many of the great musicians in each area, including Adonis Rose, Quamon Fowler, John Shifflett, Jason Lewis, Vince Lateano, Brad Leali, Shelley Carrol, Christian McBride, Dayna Stephens, Roy Hargrove, and many others.  Throughout these experiences he was always learning lessons in the moment and absorbing the music.

 

As a composer, Chernikoff draws influence from a range of  influences from Maurice Ravel and Thelonious Monk to Ornette Coleman and Frank Zappa, Chernikoff appeals to every attitude and emotion that crosses his field of view, with material ranging from wistful and elegant to angry and even crass.  The resulting work in his trio work presents an adventurous musical climate that promises to douse the listener in splashes of catharsis and rumination.  About his compositional style he says “if I didn’t appeal to the quiet serenity and bombastic crassness that I observed in my daily life, then I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.”

 

Listen to "Pieces of Sanity," out now on all streaming and available for purchase on Bandcamp!