KEYBOARDS | COMPOSER | ARRANGER | PRODUCER | MIXING | MASTERING
Providing a summary of electric jazz keyboard master Scott Kinsey’s musical history and achievements is no small task as there is much to know – which becomes clear quickly upon diving into his body of work.
As a young 1991 Berklee grad armed with a bachelor’s degree in piano performance, the Michigan native took his place at the forefront of electric jazz almost immediately, being snatched up by the seminal fusion band Tribal Tech and forming its most enduring lineup along with Scott Henderson, Gary Willis and Kirk Covington. During Kinsey’s 21-year tenure, the band produced six of its 10 albums and toured the world, culminating with the 2012 release of X, the band’s critically acclaimed swansong.
Throughout this time, Kinsey began amassing an extensive list of sideman credits – including recorded, live appearance and soundtrack work with the likes of Kurt Rosenwinkel, Jimmy Herring, Michael Landau and many others. He also developed his skills in production and mastering with The Manhattan Transfer, Phillip Bailey and more.
Kinsey was a protege to legendary jazz icon Joe Zawinul until the visionary keyboardist’s death in 2007. Their musical relationship progressed to the point that Scott was entrusted to produce Joe’s 2002 release, Faces and Places. Scott continued to honor his late friend with The Zawinul Legacy Band, building upon that legacy with the continued evolution of synthesis and conceptual improvisation.
This is borne out by both Kinsey’s 2007 solo debut Kinesthetics and his 2016 follow-up, Near Life Experience. Both feature a veritable who’s who of cutting-edge players from around the world.
Kinsey’s unique sound continued to develop through his work in Human Element, featuring drum phenom Gary Novak, visionary bassist Matthew Garrison and avant-folk percussionist Arto Tunçboyaciyan. They stormed onto the electric jazz scene with their debut performance at the 2010 New Universe Music Festival, followed by the release of their self-titled debut recording in 2011. The band’s 2018 follow-up, You Are In You, found Kinsey and cohorts advancing their musical idiom in new and inventive ways.
2018 also saw Kinsey joining forces with producer and former Yellowjackets bassist Jimmy Haslip and incendiary Hungarian drum phenom Gergo Borlai, to form the ARC Trio. Kinsey molds his ever-growing talents around these players and the inspirations they bring. On the 2022 album ARCeology, Kinsey, Haslip and Borlai exploded into new sonic territory along with the famed John Daversa Big Band and German composer MSM Schmidt.
Another exciting development is Kinsey’s recent union with vocalist Mer Sal for their 2021 album Adjustments. This collaboration seamlessly incorporates Mer’s beautiful vocal material with top-shelf instrumentalism, while Kinsey sets a new bar for his abilities as producer, player, composer and simpatico collaborator – all in one swoop. Adjustments is rightly emblematic of Kinsey’s seemingly endless aspirations to continually elevate his musical vision - whether that be his next project, next composition or next improvised note.
Scott’s 2024 release, Luniwaz LIVE, revisits some of the classic Zawinul material that he thoroughly reimagined on 2019’s We Speak Luniwaz. Now working with alto saxophonist Patrick Bartley Jr, French electric bassist Hadrien Feraud and Gergo Borlai once again on drums, this is a powerful quartet that does justice to Zawinul’s towering presence.
RECENT DISCOGRAPHY
Scott Kinsey | Luniwaz LIVE (2024)
The recent Luniwaz LIVE album (Whirlwind Recordings) was captured live on April 29, 2023, at Jazz Dock in Prague. Kinsey brandishes a monster band that has not only woven the Zawinul material into their own DNA, but also has the amazing ability to take it into their own unique zone. The cast of stellar sidemen includes fiery alto saxophonist Patrick Bartley Jr, electric bassist Hadrien Feraud and mega-drummer Gergo Borlai. “Lots of interplay, incredibly creative grooves, otherworldly sounds and masterful improvisation… this band has it all.” – Scott Henderson
ARC Trio & the John Daversa Big Band | ARCeology: The Music of MSM Schmidt (2022)
This dynamic project finds Scott in the ARC Trio, with former Yellowjackets bassist Jimmy Haslip and Hungarian drummer Gergo Borlai, who in turn join forces with the GRAMMY Award-winning John Daversa Big Band. Together, they tackle the brilliant work of German composer MSM Schmidt. The result is a powerhouse collection of swaggering big band fusion, along the lines of the legendary Jaco Pastorius Big Band.
Scott Kinsey & Mer Sal | Adjustments (2021)
A union of the vocal and instrumental that creates a synergy as compelling as when Joni met Jaco. With an impeccable supporting cast of A-list musicians, Adjustments brings out new dimensions in Kinsey and Mer Sal that forge a musical entity much deeper than just the sum of those talented parts.
Ego Mondo | End Of Daze (2019)
A genre-exploding cherry bomb that levels preconceived stylistic expectations into a smoldering ash-heap of hipness and good musical fun, Ego Mondo features Kinsey along with electric bassist extraordinaire Tim Lefebvre, drummer Gary Novak and keyboardist and Kokayi on vocals, along with other amazing guests.
Kurt Rosenwinkel & Scott Kinsey | Do It 1992 (2019)
In the summer of 1992, young jazz guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel caused quite a stir among his East Coast friends and family when he mysteriously disappeared, only to reappear about one month later. Kurt had made the hike from New York to Los Angeles where he was hard at work on a new record with virtuoso keyboardist Scott Kinsey. During this time, Rosenwinkel and Kinsey recorded an EP called Do It – a complex and tasteful mix of funk, modern jazz harmonies and sonic exploration.
Scott Kinsey | We Speak Luniwaz (2019)
Along with the core quartet of French electric bassist Hadrien Feraud, Hungarian drummer Gergo Borlai and fellow Los Angelean saxophonist Katisse Buckingham, Kinsey honors classic Zawinul compositions from both the Weather Report and Zawinul Syndicate eras. With the epic We Speak Luniwaz, Kinsey and team repurpose Joe’s material for their own signature explorations, as well as bringing some originals to the project that Joe would have loved. According to Peter Erskine, “Scott Kinsey’s band plays the daylights out of these tunes. This album deserves your attention.”
ARC Trio | ARC Trio (2018)
Kinsey, electric bassist Jimmy Haslip and drummer Gergo Borlai offer up a scorching set of modern electric jazz that seemingly brings to bear all the vast musical experience these three can draw from. Includes guests Steve Tavaglione, Vinnie Colaiuta, Gary Novak and Judd Miller.
Human Element | You Are In You (2018)
The sophomore effort from world/electro/avant-folk/jazz/beyond band Human Element shows Kinsey, Matthew Garrison, Gary Novak and Arto Tunçboyaciyan achieving an even higher orbit than on their 2011 debut.
Scott Kinsey & Naina Kundu | No Sleep (2017)
Scott’s first infiltration into pop-leaning realms with bassist/vocalist Naina Kundu sacrifices none of Kinsey’s instrumental acumen and production savvy. A solid collaboration that yields a fresh take on some familiar hits (and proves a harbinger for more great things to come).
Scott Kinsey | Near Life Experience (2016)
Scott’s blazing follow-up to Kinesthetics, his 2007 debut, Near Life Experience pulls out all the stops with a formidable gathering of unusually talented suspects including Seamus Blake, Michael Landau, Tim Lefebvre, Lalah Hathaway and many others. It’s a wild ride and was a giant leap into Kinsey’s wide-aperture musical field of vision.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
The Manhattan Transfer (The Chick Corea Songbook), Joe Zawinul (Faces & Places), Tim Hagans (Imagination: Animation and Re-Animation), Tribal Tech (X, Reality Check, Thick, Rocket Science), Gary Willis (Bent, Larger Than Life), Philip Bailey (Soul On Jazz) and James Moody (Homage). Scott mixes and masters records, as well as hi-res content for the iTunes+ (MFiT) protocol.
SOUNDTRACKS
Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve, Ocean's Thirteen, Code 46, Stander, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, The Girlfriend Experience, Smokin' Aces, Brown Sugar, Analyze That, Haywire, Let's Go To Prison
SCOTT KINSEY HAS PERFORMED WITH
Scott Henderson • Matthew Garrison • Kurt Rosenwinkel • Alphonso Johnson • Seamus Blake • John Scofield • Dennis Chambers • Gary Novak • Joe Zawinul • Nicholas Payton • John McLaughlin • Peter Erskine • Mike Stern • Michael Landau • Gary Willis • Steve Tavaglione • Wayne Krantz • Hadrien Feraud • Robben Ford • Dave Weckl • Nathaniel Townsley • Bob Berg • Lalah Hathaway • Oz Noy • Louis Cole • Chester Thompson • Jimmy Earl • Bill Evans • James Moody • Gergö Borlai • Jimmy Haslip • Ranjit Barot • Kirk Covington • Jimmy Herring • Tim Hagans • Katisse Buckingham • Cyril Atef • Vinnie Colaiuta • Nate Smith • Naina Kundu • Airto Moreira • Arto Tunçboyacian • Philip Bailey • Victor Wooten • Buika • John Patitucci • Danny Carey • Tim Lefevbre • Bob Belden • Mer Sal • John Daversa • Patrick Bartley Jr • and many others!
ENDORSEMENTS
Nord Keyboards, CME XKey37, Keith McMillen Instruments, Sequential, Arturia, Roli Seaboard, Lauten Audio Microphones
RESIDENCY
Scott appears monthly at the legendary Baked Potato in Los Angeles. Billed as The Kinsey Sessions, these dates offer high-level electric jazz improvisation in a wide variety of configurations, featuring some of the world’s best modern musicians.