I have the distinct honor of sharing the stage with the wonderful pianist Bill Cunliffe at Cal State Fullerton’s Meng Hall on September 21. I first encountered Bill when I was a student at the Vail Jazz Workshop and he’s continued to be a mentor and inspiration for many years.

Cunliffe’s resume is a “who’s who” of the jazz world ranging from Buddy Rich to Frank Sinatra to Ray Brown and Marian McPartland. He’s a Thelonious Monk Competition winner and a Grammy winner for “Best Instrumental Arrangement.”

More info at www.billcunliffe.com

Come see me play in California. I have the following upcoming performances:

June 30 – Anaheim (Music Teachers Association of California solo recital)
July 1 – Vibrato Grill (with Judy Wexler)
August 30 – Blue Whale (with Housewarming Project)
September 1-2 – Sensus Project (Long Beach)

Feel free to visit the gig page or contact me for more information.

I’ll be presenting two performances as part of the Gilmore Keyboard Festival – May 7 in Battle Creek and May 9 in Kalamazoo. I’m paired with the incredible pianist Justin Kauflin for some two piano performances. I can’t wait – Justin’s one of my favorite modern players! For more information, click here.

Every now and then people ask me if I’m playing “in town.” Well, I finally have a few performances in SoCal in April:
4/17 – Vibrato w/Jamie Shew
4/20 – Fullerton College Jazz Festival (vocal) closing concert
4/21 – Fullerton College Jazz Festival (instrumental) closing concert
4/22 – Blue Whale w/Nick Finzer

See the “Calendar” page for more info on any of these shows.

Related show

• Type: Performance
• Date: Apr 17
• Venue: Vibrato Grill
• City: Los Angeles , CA
• Address: 2930 Beverly Glen Cir
• Country: United States
• Notes: With great vocalist Jamie Shew, plus LA’s favorite rhythm section, Dave Robaire (bass) & Dan Schnelle (drums)

• Type: Performance
• Date: Apr 22
• Venue: Blue Whale
• City: Los Angeles , CA
• Address: 123 astronaut E S Onizuka St. Suite 301
• Country: United States
• Notes: with trombonist Nick Finzer and his great New York-based band.

View the lecture notes for my workshop at the Music Teachers National Association 2018 Conference in Orlando (Four Skills for Improvisation: Hands, Brain, Ear, and Heart) by clicking one of the links below:

Siskind Presentation Four Skills for Improv (with Visuals)

Siskind Presentation Four Skills for Improv (Text Only)

There was a very nice review of my book, “First Lessons in Piano Improv” in the February/March issue of “American Music Teacher” magazine! The reviewer writes that “the book provides teachers with thoughtful lesson plans for students or give the older student clear guidance for self-study…Very clear, concrete examples are included before every exercise.”

To read the full review, click here.

I’m excited to announce that the Housewarming Project is releasing a series of live performance videos over the next couple of weeks. The series is called “at_Home/at_Play” and will alternate between videos from a recent in-home concert and at the Blue Whale, a jazz club in downtown LA.

Starting January 10, I’ll be releasing two videos each week, one on Wednesdays and one on Saturdays. The best way to see the videos is to “subscribe” to my Youtube channel (click here) and/or follow my artist page on Facebook (click here).

For now, you can enjoy a preview video of our version of my song, “Kneel” below:

Hal Leonard has published two new books of mine since I last posted here! Click the links for more info and to order.

“First Lessons in Piano Improv” is an instructional book for improvisational beginners.

“Pop Hits for Piano Duet” is a four-hands piano duo book featuring classic and modern hits.

I’m always happy to be spending time with standup, singer, and gay icon Lea Delaria, now best known for her role as Big Boo in Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black.” After playing with her at Blues Alley and Payomet in the summer, this October, I’ll be traveling with her to Boston to play the Wilbur (15th), Honolulu to play Blue Note Hawaii (20th and 21st) and New York to play a week at Birdland (24th-28th) with a slate of special guests. Come check us out!

I have some big and bittersweet news to share – I’ve accepted a position at Fullerton College and I’ll be moving (back) to Southern California in August.

The news is bittersweet because I’ve met so many incredibly special people in Kalamazoo, particularly at Western Michigan University. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the most dedicated colleagues and students imaginable and witnessed an artistic community that provided them with unparalleled support. It’s truly been my privilege to guide young musicians at WMU for the past five years.

That said, I’m very excited to be joining an amazing faculty at Fullerton College and to start playing with world-class musicians in the LA-area in the fall. See you soon, SoCal!