Meet the Jazz Concert Artists at The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025

Critically acclaimed as “a clear technical virtuoso,” “a rare talent,” and “a true Wunderkind,” Chicago-born Jeremy Jordan burst onto the music scene at age nine playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in a live televised performance. Jordan was born into a musical family where his mother and father were his first instructors. They ensured his burgeoning talent was nurtured by a strong foundation in classical training and also encouraged his study of improvised music and composition. Jordan’s performance venues have included the United Nations Arts Council, the American Liszt Society, Concertgebouw, Tokyo Opera City, Prague’s Rudolfinum, and Chicago’s Ravinia Festival. Jordan also composes solo piano music, chamber music, orchestral music, and electronic music. His most recent album For Flint featured several original jazz compositions and raised money to purchase clean water for families affected by the Flint Water Crisis.

Edward Simon, a native of Venezuela, has established himself as a distinguished jazz improviser, composer-arranger, and band leader over decades in America. Renowned for blending jazz with Latin American folkloric sounds, Simon’s profile has risen in recent years. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, he is a member of the all-star SFJAZZ Collective and has received prestigious accolades such as the Guggenheim Fellowship and multiple composition grants from Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works program.

Japanese-born pianist Miki Yamanaka has called New York City home since 2012. Critics laud her “light, expressive touch and solidly crafted, mainstream approach,” while audiences delight in not only her playing, but her vibrant personality as well. Her most recent and celebrated release, Shades of Rainbow (Cellar Music), features jazz masters Mark Turner and her NYC rhythm section, Tyrone Allen and Jimmy Macbride. Additionally, Yamanaka has emerged as a leader of the “New York Scene” via her notable residencies at mainstay West Village sister clubs Smalls and Mezzrow. During the pandemic, she developed a successful in-home, live-streaming, weekly concert series cleverly titled “Miki’s Mood,” where she featured a veritable who’s who of NYC talent. She has a penchant for wearing her vast collection of kimonos for her gigs, proudly representing her heritage and culture night after night as she dazzles audiences around the world.