Photo by William Johnston
Alan Benzie is a multiple award winning Scottish pianist, keyboardist and composer from Glasgow. His mixture of flowing lyricism, spontaneous creativity and explosive energy has earned him consistent critical praise, with performances over the last few years in the UK and across Europe. He was the first UK musician to win the prestigious Billboard Award at Berklee College of Music - previous winners include Japanese pianist Hiromi, and saxophonists Jaleel Shaw and Walter Smith III.
Alan started his musical education on violin at the age of 8, with little interest in piano until he discovered jazz in his teens. Inspired by encounters with Swedish trio, EST, he switched to piano and has never looked back. Within a year he was a regular on both the Scottish youth and professional jazz scenes, appearing alongside established Scottish and visiting international artists. He won the BBC Scottish Young Jazz Musician of the Year at just 17, and then gained a major scholarship to Boston-based Berklee College of Music, where he studied with JoAnne Brackeen, Laszlo Gardony, Joe Lovano and Hal Crook.
2015 saw the release of Alan’s debut album “Traveller’s Tales”, recorded with his working trio of friends and long-time collaborators Andrew Robb on bass, and Marton Juhasz on drums. Inspired by his travels, the landscapes of Japan and his native Scotland, and his love of animation, the music has its roots in European and American jazz, with influences from impressionist piano music, Scottish and Japanese folk musics, and film music. The trio followed this with their second album "Little Mysteries", launching it with an extensive European and UK tour, and subsequently winning Best Album in the 2018 Scottish Jazz Awards.
A versatile pianist and keyboard player, Alan is one of the most in-demand musicians on the flourishing Scottish jazz scene, and can regularly be found playing with some of the country’s top musicians in jazz and beyond. He is also a core member of fusion juggernaut Fat-Suit, groovy world music/jazz group Mezcla, and up and coming bassist Ali Watson’s quartet.
"Benzie’s playing has a hushed yet yearning quality to it; an exquisite touch and elegant virtuosity make for a thoroughly engaging listen.” Jazzwise
“Benzie has an orchestrator’s ear for detail in his compositions… His spontaneous creativity impressed even more as improvisations were developed with a clear sense of direction and sustained with inspired phrases” Rob Adams, The Herald
“Most impressive was piano prodigy Alan Benzie… Possessing impeccable technique, and musical imagination, Benzie confirmed his position as a prominent figure in Scotland’s contemporary scene.” The Scotsman