Biography
Jazz musician Steve Holt began playing piano at the age of four. During his teenage years he became a fixture on the club circuit in his hometown of Montreal. Drawn especially to jazz instrumentals, he decided to pursue music as a career. He completed a jazz performance major at McGill University and became the first graduate to receive a Bachelor of Music degree from the institution. Teaching posts in jazz improvisation at the university soon came his way, yet he kept advancing his own skills through private study. Regular trips to New York City brought him under the tutelage of pianist Kenny Barron, sharpening his technique at the keyboard. His first album, The Lion's Eyes, appeared in 1983 and earned widespread critical praise before receiving a Juno Award for Best Jazz Album. Through the rest of the decade he collaborated with Eddie Henderson, Archie Shepp, and Larry Coryell while maintaining a separate full-time position. Although his primary identity remained that of a pianist, he also worked as a top-ranked consumer analyst and released the holiday recording Christmas Light in 1991. The album Just Duet followed in 1992. With the 1994 release of Catwalk he presented his most ambitious body of work to that point, but he still longed to devote himself entirely to music. In 1999 he stepped away from the corporate sphere so that performing could become his central occupation. Mid-2002 saw the appearance of his fifth album, The Dream, issued by Trilogy.
Albums
