Eugene Portman

Eugene was classically trained and was taught the piano by Brendan Murray. He won many music festivals and competitions but he really wanted to learn how to improvise and become a jazz pianist like his heroes Erroll Garner, Dudley Moore and Oscar Peterson. However he did stick to his classical training and this has been a wonderful foundation for him to develope his own style of playing.

Eugene joined the Tony Strudwick Band when he was eighteen and gradually managed to make the really difficult switch from classical music to popular music and later to jazz. For a number of years Eugene did quite a lot of classical work along side his performing in the jazz world. One of these jobs lasted for four years and involved working for the Royal Ballet School and the Royal Ballet Company.

One of the things that makes Eugene stand out from most other jazz pianists is his ability to perform solo. A lot of jazz pianists are great in a combo situation but are completely lost when it comes to solo piano. Eugene's classical training together with his love for pianists such as Oscar Peterson, Teddy Wilson and Erroll Garner have enabled Eugene to become an accomplished solo performer. Since those days Eugene has been able to devote himself purely to jazz and his work takes him all over the UK and abroad.

The last four years have seen quite a lot of developements in Eugene's career. One of the most important things is the collaboration between him and the superb jazz singer Alice Harvey. They gelled straight away and have very similar tastes in music. They have also developed a certain musical ESP - they seem to have an uncanny way of knowing what each other is going to do next. Also, not long after this collaboration, the Eugene Portman Trio was formed. It didn't take long before Alice was singing with the trio and this format has become increasingly popular for weddings, corporate events and parties.

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