Conal Fowkes is a GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist, double-bassist, vocalist, arranger and teacher. His skills and expertise cover diverse fields of music: traditional jazz, swing, post-bop—plus everything from Salsa to Son Cubano and Latin jazz.
Photography by Magdalena Grabarek (@mrs_maggie_shaw)
“Conal Fowkes is truly a unique talent, being able to arrange and play piano in the style of early American creators of jazz such as Jelly Roll Morton. There are very few pianists in the United States who have mastered the early styles such as Mr. Fowkes.”
- - - Bob Erdos, owner/producer of Stomp Off Records
About
To this date, Fowkes has performed in 34 countries and has over 40 recordings to his name.
New York
After 26 years in London, Fowkes landed in New York and since he’s performed in 48 states at premier concert halls and celebrated jazz clubs including: the Algonquin Hotel, Birdland, Blue Note, Feinstein’s, Lincoln Center, Rainbow Room, Smalls Jazz Club, Town Hall, Village Vanguard, World Trade Center, Yoshi’s (CA), Blues Alley (DC) and The Kennedy Center (DC).
He’s performed with: Bette Midler, Bob Wilber, The Boston Pops Orchestra, Bucky Pizzarelli, Cheo Feliciano, Chocolate Armenteros, Cyro Baptista, Danny Aiello, Gene Bertoncini, Houston Person, Johnny Pacheco, The Manhattan Rhythm Kings, Marion McPartland, Orquesta Tipica Novel, Paquito D’Rivera, Ray Santos Big Band, Romero Lubambo, Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks Orchestra, Wycliffe Gordon, and Wynton Marsalis.
He was a featured soloist in the hit Broadway show, One Mo' Time.
For 28 years, Conal played a consistent gig with Woody Allen at the Cafe Carlyle.
London
In 1988, HRH Princess Margaret presented him with the award for College Student Allmusician of the Year at the International Wavendon Allmusic Competition. In London, Fowkes has performed with: Adalberto Santiago, Alfredo Rodriguez, Cleo Laine, George Chisholm, Henry Fiol, Jesus Alemani, John R.T. Davies, Johnny Dankworth, Nigel Kennedy, Patato Valdes, Roberto Pla, Stacey Kent, and Steve Turre.
Early Origins
Born in Zambia and having spent most of his early childhood in Mexico, Fowkes moved to England in 1971. His classical studies gained him a place at the world-renowned Royal College of Music (London) where he studied with legendary concert pianist Yonty Solomon and privately with the legendary Cuban Maestro Chucho Valdes.
TV & Film
Fowkes has made several TV appearances: Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion and the Rosie O’Donnell Show. He can be heard and/or seen in the films Finding Forrester, Ghost World, Lipstick On Your Collar, Madame Suzatska, Proud, The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, and five-time Oscar winner The Aviator.
He is featured in the PBS documentary Sound Revolution presented by Morgan Freeman and can be seen on DVDs Live at Montreux Jazz Festival (with Eddy Davis, Wycliff Gordon and Evan Christopher) and in Live at the Campidoglio (with Woody Allen and Eddy Davis) in Barcelona.
Fowkes' career with Woody Allen has spanned X years. He’s featured on the soundtrack of Allen’s film You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (‘10) and plays the voice and piano of Cole Porter in the Oscar winning film Midnight in Paris (‘11) for which the soundtrack received a Grammy. He’s featured playing the theme “Blue Moon” in Allen’s Blue Jasmine (‘13) and is included in Magic In The Moonlight (‘14), Cafe Society (‘16) and A Rainy Day In New York (‘19).
Today
Fowkes co-leads the Woody Allen New Orleans Jazz Band (which he’s done since 2001) and is also a member of award winning Cuban group Los Soneros de Oriente. He tours regularly with Grammy nominated Latin group The New Swing Sextet.
