Jeff started playing keyboards as a result of his passion for the music of the Grateful Dead. "When I started seeing shows, I was captivated by the sound of the Hammond Organ. It sounded like it was ALIVE! I was determined to learn how to make that sound, and play that music. When I started playing in 1991, it was with an eye toward finding kindred spirits to play the music of the Dead." From 1991-1998, that was the focus of his playing. "Around '98 I got a hankering to cultivate more of my own voice in an original project. Fortunately, in going to school on the music of the Dead, I learned to play in a variety of styles, and of course, to improvise. It was important to me that improvisation as a collective be an essential part of whatever project I participated in."
"I am fortunate to find myself in a community of musicians that are among the finest people I could imagine myself associated with, in addition to being very talented, fine players. Music has gifted me in many wonderful ways, but none more than having the opportunity to meet and marry the finest (and most talented) woman I've ever met who is my partner in music as well as life."
In addition to Hammond Organ, Jeff plays acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Hohner Clavinet, and some synthesizer.
The "Dead" oriented projects he's played in include: Roadtrips, Roses Cantina, Reckoning, Wig Jam, Half-Step, Dead Center All-Stars (Wetlands), The Electrix, and Tiberius
The original projects he has played in include: Toni Brown Band, One-Eyed Jack, Moodras, Ronnie Penque Band, and Katie Pearlman Band.
www.katiepearlman.com
Jeff's Discography:
Toni Brown Band - 3rd Annual Gathering on the Mountain,
One Eyed Jack ‘Sunlight Blue Madness’, 2001
Moodras ‘Had No Choice’, 2005
Moodras ‘What You Don’t Know’, 2007
Katie Pearlman ‘Dreaming Again’, 2008