The West Market Street Stompers
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John Royen
One of the few “two-handed” jazz pianists today, his style recalls the era of the great classic jazz pianists such as “Jelly Roll” Morton, “Fats” Waller, and Willie “the Lion” Smith. With a full left hand bass, John creates a sound that most pianists need a trio to produce. He learned his style under the tutelage of jazz legend Don Ewell, who performed with such jazz greats as “Bunk” Johnson and Jack Teagarden. Popular drummer Hal Smith after a jazz tour throughout Germany, commented, “ ‘Professor Twelvefingers’ (John Royen) was the personification of a Harlem piano ‘tickler.’ A sharp dresser, supremely confident of his talent—with good reason—and able to wash any upstart pianists away…. In German jazz clubs, his piano mastery recalled the sounds of the great Don Ewell, as he strung together well-thought-out medleys of numbers associated with Morton, Waller and Hines… I pity any pianist who ever has to follow ‘Professor Twelvefingers’ in a cutting contest!…It is a lucky musical group which secures the services of (John Royen).” Today, John Royen is continuing the stride piano tradition. He has performed, toured and recorded with many contemporary New Orleans jazz greats, including The Dukes of Dixieland, Tim Laughlin, The Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, Duke Heitger’s Steamboat Stompers, Jacques Gauthe, Jack Maheu, and all of the major jazz groups in the city. John has been playing for over 20 years with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and has performed at the Kennedy Center, the U.S. State Department, the National Press Club, the Smithsonian Institution, the New Orleans Historical Jazz Park, and numerous universities, theaters and performing arts centers around the country, in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Canada. John enjoys spending most of his time performing in New Orleans and the surrounding area. He has released a solo piano CD titled “Solo Tradition”. John has received local and national recognition for his playing and has performed in over 15 countries around the world. He has lectured for many public and private organizations including the Louis Armstrong Foundation and the National Park Service, as well as numerous jazz festivals and associations.
Having an extensive knowledge of jazz
history, John can deliver a variety of musical presentations, from a
solo or ensemble jazz performance to a lecture on early jazz and its
development. With over 25 years of experience, he can draw on the finest
musicians from New Orleans and around the country to assemble a variety
of jazz groups for any type of function.
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John
Royen - Piano:
Originally from Washington, D.C., John Royen as an up and coming young
jazz pianist, moved to New Orleans in 1976 to learn from and play with
the best jazz musicians in the country. He was fortunate enough to study
with the great Don Ewell and to pick up some important pointers from the
likes of Joe Turner and Washington D.C. pianist, John Eaton. Since his
arrival in New Orleans, he has been a fixture on the jazz scene here,
both as a popular on-call pianist and as a core member of most of the
well-known jazz groups.
