Joel Ke-

Joel knew he was destined for greatness the day he placed his fingers on a piano at age eight. He began studying Jazz at age 15 and, at 16, was attending local Blues jams where the performers took him under his wing and invited him on tour when he turned 18 where he learned the ropes of performance, showmanship and crowd interaction in his home state of Wisconsin and in Illinois.

After years of working with other artists, he released his solo debut album, Submerged, in 2004. The album’s combination of Blues and Jazz was a critical hit and an underground sensation that earned him the “Best Blues Pianist” award the same year in a statewide competition. He continued his success with The Straight Ahead EP in 2006 and 2008’s No Turning Back.

His style has been compared to that of Harry Connick Jr., James Taylor and Ray Charles and draws influence from a wide pool of influential artists such as Paul Simon, Richard Tee, Debussy and Satie. Piano fanatics will notice shades of Gene Harris, Ramsey Lewis, Herbie Hancock and other piano masters. Joe fully embraces the praise (and criticism) that his distinct style receives. “My style is too jazzy for blues and too bluesy for jazz,” he says, “so I have been told. I like to take a jazz song and make it dirty,” he explains, “or take a rough blues tune and clean it up just enough to get the story across on the piano instead of guitar.”

Kennedy, a University of Wisconsin-Parkside alumnus, received his Master’s of Music Degree in Jazz Performance from the University of Las Vegas where he studied with Dave Loeb, Bruce Paulson and Tom Warrington. He was also the Graduate Assistant for the school’s Jazz department where he coordinated all student performances as the Jazz Event Coordinator. Joel continues to grace audiences with his music in New Orleans where he currently resides.