Bruce Katz

Bruce Katz (born August 19, 1952) is an American musician, playing piano, organ and bass guitar. From 1996 to 2010, he was on the faculty at the Berklee College of Music in Boston as an associate professor.

Biography
Katz began playing classical piano at the age of 5. He commenced his professional musical career playing piano and bass guitar with various bands in Baltimore. He then decided to concentrate on piano and Hammond organ, and in particular, jazz and blues music. After studying music at the Berklee College of Music and playing primarily jazz in Boston, he got the opportunity to play bass guitar for Big Mama Thornton. This reconnected him with his love of the blues, which has been his main musical genre since that time. From that band, Katz moved on to play with Barrence Whitfield and the Savages. While in this band, Katz had the opportunity to tour all over Europe and the U.S., playing clubs, festivals and making television appearances.

From Barrence Whitfield and the Savages, Katz moved on to playing organ and piano as well as writing and co-writing material for Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters. By this time, Katz had been on several different recording sessions with the bands he had played with as well as special guesting on sessions for other artists.

While with Ronnie Earl, Katz had not only formed his own band and began recording on the Sledgehammer Blues (formerly AudioQuest Music) label but was still maintaining the touring schedule with the Broadcasters. After leaving the Broadcasters in 1997 to concentrate on the Bruce Katz Band, Katz has maintained his own touring schedule, and released a total of seven albums, while also recording and touring with many other artists, such as Delbert McClinton, Duke Robillard, Joe Louis Walker, Debbie Davies, David "Fathead" Newman, John Hammond and others.

From 2007 to 2013, Katz was a regular member of Gregg Allman and Friends. In 2011, he joined Delbert McClinton's Band and continued to play with him until 2014. He continues to play with John P. Hammond on occasion. Katz performed with Allman Brothers founding member Butch Trucks in two different groups - Butch Trucks and the Freight Train Band and Les Brers, a band that contained 5 members of the Allman Brothers Band and Katz on keyboards, Lamar Williams Jr. on vocals and Pat Bergeson on guitar, in addition to Butch Trucks, Jaimoe, Marc Quinones, Oteil Burbridge on bass and Jack Pearson on guitar.

In October, 2014, Katz released Homecoming on the American Showplace Music record label.  This album featured guests John P. Hammond, Randy Ciarlante, Jimmy Bennett, Marty Ballou, Peter Bennett and is the first Bruce Katz Band album to feature vocals as well as instrumentals. Homecoming received critical and popular acclaim, garnering radio play in the US and worldwide, appearing at the top of Blues Radio charts. In 2016, he released another album on American Showplace Music, Out From The Center.  This album was The Bruce Katz Band featuring Chris Vitarello, who has played with the band since 2006.  Vitarello co-wrote several tunes on the album and sings on four tracks. Out From The Center reached No. 1 on the Roots Music Report Blues Radio Chart. In 2018, he released Get Your Groove! on American Showplace.

Katz released his first solo piano album titled Solo Ride on American Showplace Music in 2019.  This all instrumental album featured eleven original compositions and was a purely acoustic album featuring Katz playing at a grand piano.  The Bruce Katz Band continues to be Katz's primary focus at present.

Discography

References

External links
Bruce Katz Band
Founding Music

Category:1952 births
Category:Living people
Category:American jazz pianists
Category:American blues pianists
Category:American male pianists
Category:American jazz organists
Category:Male organists
Category:Berklee College of Music faculty
Category:20th-century American pianists
Category:21st-century American pianists
Category:21st-century organists
Category:20th-century American male musicians
Category:21st-century American male musicians
Category:Male jazz musicians
Category:21st-century American keyboardists