peter nero!

the new year begins...! our first project in vis lang is going to be posters for the folly theater's jazz series. i, along with erica d. and ashley, drew a dashing fellow named peter nero out of our lot, and today we present our research about him, and the moodboard we created whilst listening to his dynamic piano stylings.

Peter Nero

Erica Downing, Jessi Wilson, Ashley Einspahr

Peter Nero was born Bernard Nierow on May 22, 1934, in Brooklyn. He started learning the piano when he was seven. He loved the piano and learned to play quite quickly. By eleven he was playing Haydn concertos from memory and soon grew bored with classical music. That is when he found jazz. At the age of fourteen he was accepted into New York’s prestigious High School of Music and Art. Later he won a scholarship to the Juilliard School of music. He also attended Brooklyn College to earn a B.A degree. 

His recording career began with his first album in 1961, for which he won a Grammy for "best new artist." He has subsequently released another 67 albums, won another Grammy, and been nominated for ten more.  He scored & performed the film Sunday in New York. His fundraising has helped save school music programs, construct art centers, and research for cancer, dystonia, and autism. He has been divorced 3 times, but has two children, Beverly and Jedd. As an aspiring jazz musician in the 50's, he played in clubs and saloons as an intermission pianist.

Peter Nero is considered one of the best interpreters of Gershwin. His favorite artists include Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, and Vladimir Horowitz, Roger Kellaway, Carmen McRae, Frank Sinatra, the Basie Band.

After many years of playing Nero developed a unique swinging hybrid of of jazz, classical, Broadway, swing, and blues music. He has avoided categorization by connecting different types of music in one, this is his trademark. Nero told High Fidelity, “This is strictly an expression of myself, an expression of impatience with both jazz and classical music.” 

Nero's stunning piano skills are characterized by his brilliant passage work, rapid bass lines, arpeggio-like figures ascending and descending and several dynamic variations. He plays both fast, thrilling music, along with slow, peaceful music marked by beautiful lyricism. Music Critic, Peter Dobrin stated that Nero "plays piano like a dream". Nero entertains his audiences with his unique mix of popular classics with his own flair. He arranges his music using his own expertise with authenticity and an inviting sense of humor. 

Nero's long list of honors include six Honorary Doctorates, two historic walks of fame, ten Grammy nominations, two Grammy Awards, a Distinguished Arts Award, and many more honors and awards.  His album, Summer of '42, received an Million Selling gold single and album award. He was even named the world's "Number One Artist" by Cashbox Magazine.  He has made several television appearances such as "The Tonight Show", "Rhapsody in Blue", and has been profiled on several news channels.