John Bayless
John Bayless, a pianist, is an intriguing crossover artist who blends class… Read Full Bio ↴John Bayless, a pianist, is an intriguing crossover artist who blends classical training and piano technique with popular and film music in dashing and imaginative improvisations.
John Bayless started playing the piano when he was four, receiving lessons from his mother. She taught him the standard teaching methods and music including Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Rachmaninov, and Gershwin. As soon as he was old enough, he says, he was drawn to the piano whenever he had heard or emotionally experienced anything, and expressed these impressions by improvising.
One of his primary influences was the movies. His town on the West Texas Plains, Borger, Texas was typical for its time, with a drive-in movie where the family went every Friday "regardless of rain, dust storms, tornadoes, whatever," as he recalls. Along with the chili-cheese hamburgers, doughnuts, and popcorn, he ingested the music of film scores and was soon rushing over the piano afterwards to recreate the music of Mancini, Rota, Steiner, Rozsa, Herrmann, and Williams.
He won a scholarship to the Aspen School of Music at fifteen, and at seventeen went to Juilliard in New York to study piano with Adele Marcus. She recognized his unusual ability at improvisation (an art long in decline among classical musicians) and encouraged it. He was invited to participate as a composer in New York University's Masters Degree Musical Theatre Program, studying with Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green.
His first recording, "Happy Birthday Bach," was released in 1985 on the Pro Arte label. He has primarily recorded on Angel. His "Bach Meets the Beatles" and its follow-up, "Bach on Abbey Road" were hits, the first of them being one of Billboard's Top Ten crossover albums of the 1980s. "The Puccini Album ‹ Arias for Piano" was at the top of the classical crossover chart for eighteen weeks. Other hits have been a set of variations on songs from Bernstein's West Side Story and a set of classical film scores.
Bayless tours widely, playing around fifty concerts a year. He frequently appears at Pops concerts, and since the mid-1990s also appears often in Europe. As a composer, he has been commissioned to write for the Newport Music Festival, the University of Maryland International Piano Competition, and the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, the latter for a score to a film about its Lila Acheson Wallace Exhibition of 20th Century American Art.
John Bayless started playing the piano when he was four, receiving lessons from his mother. She taught him the standard teaching methods and music including Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Rachmaninov, and Gershwin. As soon as he was old enough, he says, he was drawn to the piano whenever he had heard or emotionally experienced anything, and expressed these impressions by improvising.
One of his primary influences was the movies. His town on the West Texas Plains, Borger, Texas was typical for its time, with a drive-in movie where the family went every Friday "regardless of rain, dust storms, tornadoes, whatever," as he recalls. Along with the chili-cheese hamburgers, doughnuts, and popcorn, he ingested the music of film scores and was soon rushing over the piano afterwards to recreate the music of Mancini, Rota, Steiner, Rozsa, Herrmann, and Williams.
He won a scholarship to the Aspen School of Music at fifteen, and at seventeen went to Juilliard in New York to study piano with Adele Marcus. She recognized his unusual ability at improvisation (an art long in decline among classical musicians) and encouraged it. He was invited to participate as a composer in New York University's Masters Degree Musical Theatre Program, studying with Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green.
His first recording, "Happy Birthday Bach," was released in 1985 on the Pro Arte label. He has primarily recorded on Angel. His "Bach Meets the Beatles" and its follow-up, "Bach on Abbey Road" were hits, the first of them being one of Billboard's Top Ten crossover albums of the 1980s. "The Puccini Album ‹ Arias for Piano" was at the top of the classical crossover chart for eighteen weeks. Other hits have been a set of variations on songs from Bernstein's West Side Story and a set of classical film scores.
Bayless tours widely, playing around fifty concerts a year. He frequently appears at Pops concerts, and since the mid-1990s also appears often in Europe. As a composer, he has been commissioned to write for the Newport Music Festival, the University of Maryland International Piano Competition, and the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, the latter for a score to a film about its Lila Acheson Wallace Exhibition of 20th Century American Art.
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John Bayless Lyrics
A Day In The Life I read the news today oh boy About a lucky man…
A Hard Day's Night It's been a hard day's night, and I been working…
All You Need Is Love Love, love, love Love, love, love Love, love, love There's …
And I Love Her I give her all my love That's all I do And if…
Can't Buy Me Love Can't buy me love, love Can't buy me love I'll…
Eleanor Rigby Ah look at all the lonely people Ah look at all…
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Have yourself a merry little Christmas Let your heart be li…
Here There and Everywhere To lead a better life I need my love to be…
Hey Jude Hey Jude, don't make it bad Take a sad song and…
I Want to Hold Your Hand Oh yeah I tell you somethin' I think you'll understand When …
If I Fell If I fell in love with you Would you promise to…
Imagine Imagine there's no heaven It's easy if you try No hell below…
In My Life There are places I'll remember All my life, though some hav…
Lady Madonna Lady Madonna, children at your feet Wonder how you manage to…
Let It Be When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary…
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds Picture yourself in a boat on a river With tangerine trees…
Maxwell's Silver Hammer Joan was quizzical; studied pataphysical Science in the hom…
O Come All Ye Faithful Oh, come ye O come ye to Bethlehem Come and behold him Bo…
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN / DANCE OF THE SUGAR PLUM FAIRY I just came back from a lovely trip along the…
The Long and Winding Road The long and winding road That leads to your door Will nev…
The One If I fell in love with you Would you promise to…