Ryan Cohan

Ryan Cohan, a pianist equally at home in electric and acoustic jazz idioms, has earned his strongest recognition through his work as a composer. In 2000 he was awarded a composition fellowship by the Illinois Arts Council. His closest professional tie has been to jazz pianist and bandleader Ramsey Lewis, who has committed ten of Cohan’s pieces to disc. Lewis described their partnership by saying, “I couldn’t believe how in sync we were,” adding that Cohan belonged to “the Bud Powell – Chick Corea school” while he himself drew from “the Nat Cole, Earl Hines and Teddy Wilson school,” yet concluding, “But, we really work well together.”

Upon completing his studies at the DePaul School of Music in 1993—piano with Larry Novak, arranging with Cliff Colnot, and jazz with David Bloom—Cohan began recording sessions for leading jazz figures such as Freddie Hubbard, Milt Hinton, Michael Urniak, Regina Carter, and Richie Cole. He also joined trumpet player Orbert Davis for worldwide tours. His own catalog includes the solo albums Real World, issued in 1997, and Here And Now, released in 2001.