TAN WEIXIANG
New York University

 

Wei Xiang is a jazz pianist who is a first-call musician in his country of origin, Singapore. A latecomer into jazz, Wei started piano studies at 15 and jazz at 21 when he was in law school. A trained lawyer, he has come a long way since then.

 

A protege of Thelonius Monk’s bassist Victor Gaskin (Cannonball Adderley, Billy Taylor, Duke Ellington Orchestra etc), Wei has established himself as a first-call pianist in Singapore, having played with mainstream jazz artistes like James Morrison, Stanley Jordan, Dave Samuels as well as world music giants like Shakti ganjira player V Selvaganesh and Shakuhachi Kaizan John Neptune. Wei runs a world music collective, Euro-Asia, and as bandleader of funk band Soulcadelics he has opened for Grammy award winners Incognito. He has also toured in Japan, Spain, Thailand and France.

 

Moving to New York City in the fall of 2007, Wei has established himself as a sideperson, having performed at venues like the Blue Note and 55 Bar, with Grammy award winners Brian Lynch and Joe Lovano. He also shared the stage with the new generation of rising jazz stars, including Rob Scheps, Quincy Davis, Greg Glassman, Bill Saxton and Grant Stewart. Wei was named as a “New Yorker of the Week” by NY1 station in the fall of 2008 for his work at churches for the homeless, as part of the Ouros Markovich Music Ministry.

 

Having just concluded a 2 year residency in the premier jazz club of singapore, Southbridge Jazz, Wei is currently engaged as an adjunct professor in jazz studies at the SIA-Lasalle College of the Arts, and is wrapping up a series of tour dates in Barcelona and Shanghai. 2 albums as a co-band leader are currently in post-production.