Charmaine Ford

Wellington-based pianist Charmaine Ford has established herself as one of New Zealand's most innovative and fearless voices in jazz. She has played piano professionally since her mid teens and has been composing since the age of six. Ford's second release, ?Busy Silence? (Dec '06) highlights her distinctive style as a composer, arranger and producer. This self-penned album also captures her phenomenal skills as an improviser. Her debut album ?Blues for Guppy' (Oct '03) went straight to the top, nominated as finalist in the ?Best Jazz Album? category at the Vodafone NZ Music Awards 2004.

Ford's second release, ?Busy Silence? (Dec '06) highlights her distinctive style as a composer, arranger and producer. This self-penned album also captures her phenomenal skills as an improviser.

Her debut album ?Blues for Guppy' (Oct '03) went straight to the top, nominated as finalist in the ?Best Jazz Album? category at the Vodafone NZ Music Awards 2004.

In 2005, Charmaine sort individual tuition from internationally acclaimed composer, John Psathas for the duration of the year. This period of concentrated training brought about a significant development in her writing.

Charmaine was invited to tour Australia (Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney) with her trio (Dec '04), which included a performance at the, ?2004 Melbourne Women's International Jazz Festival?.
Ford and her trio have also performed and toured throughout New Zealand, and have been invited to play at many of New Zealand's jazz festivals, including the Waiheke International Jazz Festival, Tauranga International Jazz Festival, Wellington International Jazz Festival, and Christchurch International Jazz Festival. In December 2006, Charmaine performed in concert with Tim Beveridge and the NZSO at Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre.

At age 19, Charmaine was awarded a Travel Grant Scholarship from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) to study in London (all expenses paid). There, Charmaine spent three months learning from two of England's top jazz educators, Nikki Iles and Pete Churchill, while also taking lessons from one of the worlds leading classical pianists, Professor Yonty Soloman. During her time in London Charmaine was also privileged to have lessons with various jazz greats including American pianists, Fred Hersch and Danilo Perez.

Charmaine Ford was born March 22, 1980 in Tauranga, New Zealand. She moved to Auckland at the age of eight, already with two years piano training, and from there rapidly progressed in her music career. Charmaine attended Rangitoto College on Auckland's North Shore, where she became heavily involved in the jazz ensembles, both as a player and as a leader. This became her ?training ground' for the Auckland jazz scene.

Shortly after leaving high school, Charmaine won several national awards including ?Best Pianist', and ?Best Combo' at the annual National Tauranga Jazz Festival Competitions.

From there, she toured to Australia with her jazz quintet, ?Carte Blanche?, and performed at the ?Manly Jazz Festival?, Sydney. Not long after returning from overseas, Charmaine was awarded ?Jazz Musician of the Year?, by the Auckland Jazz Workshop (?98), and then gained the same success the following year.

Charmaine was selected as pianist for the New Zealand Youth Jazz Orchestra on four occasions ('98,'99,'00,'02), in which she toured throughout New Zealand.

5 of Charmaine's compositions appear in the second volume of ?The Kiwi Real Book?.

At only 26yrs, Charmaine Ford has an exciting future ahead of her.


?One of New Zealand's True Piano Masters?
WELLINGTON INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL, NZ

?Charmaine Ford has sealed her reputation as one of New Zealand's leading Jazz Pianists?
CHRISTCHURCH INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL, NZ

"Charmaine Ford has a maturity of jazz expression that belies such youth. This is her debut album and it's a classic"
NZ MUSICIAN MAGAZINE, NZ

"A rising star of New Zealand Jazz Piano"
DOMINION POST, NZ