Dan DeChellis (pianist) first came to the attention of the jazz / improvised / new music world in 1996 with the release of his solo recording debut "Shapes" on the Sachimay label. This recording earned him immediate critical praise and led to appearances throughout the Northeast. Since then DeChellis has released five more CDs on Sachimay and has continued to increase his reputation as one of today's busiest and most compelling improvisers. He has performed as a soloist, leader and sideman at the Roulette (NY), Knitting Factory (NY), The Middle East (Boston), Sculler's Jazz Club (Boston), Harvard University, New Langton Arts (CA), The Zeitgeist, ABC NO Rio, Autumn Uprising Festival, the Big Sur Experimental Music Festival and as an organizer and performer at New York's, Improvised and Otherwise Festival.
Born October 14,1970, DeChellis grew up in Whitehouse Station, NJ. He began piano studies at age five and quickly developed interest in a diverse range of musical styles. From 1989 to 1997 DeChellis received his master's degree in classical piano. At the New England Conservatory DeChellis worked closely with legendary composer/pianist Ran Blake and improviser Masashi Harada. DeChellis sites influences as diverse as Paul Bley, Brian Eno and the music of Anton Webern.
DeChellis's music seeks to blur the boundaries between contemporary classical and improvised music. Whether he is performing solo or accompanied by electronics, voice and acoustic instruments, he masterfully combines standard piano virtuosity with extended technique and explosive bursts of energy. His recordings have been reviewed in The Wire, Cadence, Signal to Noise and Keyboard Magazine. Among the many fine musicians he has collaborated with are: Gerry Hemmingway, Sabir Mateen, Daniel Carter, Dee Pop, Rueben Radding, Ravish Momin, Ernesto Diaz-Infante, Jeff Arnal, Chris Forsyth, Anita DeChellis, Brian Moran, Toshi Makihara, Masashi Harada, Matt Hannafin, Bhob Rainey, Tatsuya Nakatani.
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