95 fans
“Music that hits the heart and tugs at the emotional strings of the mind, and a musician who can paint a musical landscape of wondrous proportions…” is how One World Music Radio describes the music and artistry of award-winning Kawai artist, Brad Jacobsen.
Like many children who start taking piano lessons at a young age, Brad Jacobsen did not immediately enjoy or appreciate the instrument. He preferred building forts in the woods with friends, telling scary stories around the fire, or brainstorming ideas for his next blockbuster, starring all his friends in the neighborhood. Though on numerous occasions he pleaded with his parents to let him quit piano, the lessons continued, always accompanied by his parents’ promise, “You’ll thank us later.” These words were validated when as a teenager Brad “discovered” he could use the piano as a tool for emotional expression and creative storytelling. He soon experienced the joy of composing his own original pieces, inspired by contemporary piano artists such as Jim Brickman, Yanni, David Lanz and Kurt Bestor, and drawing on his passion for nature and storytelling.
During the early years of marriage and fatherhood Brad Jacobsen continued to compose, and in 2011 released his debut solo piano album, Road Home, a collection of original music inspired by home and family. It was acclaimed as a “Top 25 Album of 2011” on www.MainlyPiano.com and in 2012 was a category winner for Album of the Year on www.SoloPiano.com. Road Home was followed just a few months later by Deck the Halls, the first in a trilogy of award-winning Christmas albums (Midnight Clear in 2015 & Winter in 2018).
For his 2013 album, Thirteen Tales, Brad Jacobsen returned to his childhood passion and nostalgia for stories, and found inspiration in the classic tales of the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and others. The album quickly became a fan-favorite. The following year, The Arrow & the Song, an album inspired by nature and the four seasons, was recommended by Deepak Chopra in a 2019 CNBC article as a way to “prevent you from being distracted by your loud surroundings and instead envelope you with equanimity.”
In 2016 and 2017 Brad Jacobsen released Pastorale and In the Pines, albums containing refreshing and original arrangements of well-loved hymns and folk songs. 2020's Shadowlight is an intimate and personal collection of songs inspired by a period of significant change and reflection. The summer of 2021 welcomed Brad's 10th studio album, Nocturne, a collection of music inspired by the night.
A lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest, Brad makes his home in the foothills of Mt. Rainier with his wife, Stacy, and their three sons. All of Brad’s albums have been recorded at the renowned Piano Haven Studio in Sedona, AZ. To learn more, visit www.bradjacobsenmusic.com
