Rick Germanson

Rick Germanson (pianist) was born in Milwaukee on May 29, 1972, and began piano lessons as a young child. He attended Pius XI High School, where he played in the big band under the direction of Jim Van Deusen. The summer before his senior year, he began studying piano with David Hazeltine and continued lessons with him for three years. While still a teenager, he performed with local greats such as Berkeley Fudge and Gerald Cannon. From 1993 to 1995, Rick worked regularly at The Estate with the Luis Diaz Quintet, a Latin jazz group. He earned a degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 1995. The following year, he traveled to Spain to perform with Frank Morgan and also appeared with Morgan’s band on a jazz cruise. That same year, he won the prestigious American Pianists Association competition.

In 1998, Rick moved to New York City, where he has performed and recorded with many jazz greats, including Eric Alexander, Gerald Cannon, Joe Chambers, Louis Hayes, Brian Lynch, Russell Malone, and Papo Vázquez. He has recorded several albums as a leader and is an in-demand pianist on the New York jazz scene. He is also a member of the jazz faculty at the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the Hartt School, University of Hartford.

Listen to Rick perform his composition “The Interloper” with Gerald Cannon on bass and Willie Jones III on drums, recorded in 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhXExQQXZrg

More information can be found at: http://www.rickgermanson.com/