Jason Rebello emerged in the early 1990s as one of Britain’s most notable young pianists, during an era when Courtney Pine and other British jazz players with comparable sensibilities began attracting notice in the United States. He took up classical piano at nine, later developed an interest in folk and soul, and at sixteen—after first encountering Herbie Hancock—turned his focus to jazz. At nineteen he became the first jazz musician accepted into England’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama as a classical student.
Extensive sideman work followed with leading American figures such as James Moody, Bud Shank, Art Blakey, Gary Burton, Branford Marsalis, and Wayne Shorter, as well as prominent British jazz artists including Tommy Smith, Cleveland Watkiss, Steve Williamson, and Alec Dankworth. Rebello issued two noteworthy albums on the Novus label, A Clearer View in 1990 and Keeping Time in 1993, then continued to record as a leader through the rest of the decade with Make It Real in 1994, Last Dance in 1995, and Next Time Round in 1999. During those years he directed both an acoustic trio and an electric ensemble in the manner of Chick Corea while openly exploring his affinity for R&B and soul. In the late 1990s he joined Sting’s touring and recording ensemble; from the mid-2000s onward he became a member of Jeff Beck’s band, appearing on the guitarist’s 2010 release Emotion & Commotion and contributing to or co-authoring four of its ten tracks.
