Billy Childs is an internationally acclaimed American jazz pianist whose album 'Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro' topped Billboard's Jazz Albums Chart in 2014 and his 2017 release 'Rebirth', which features singers Claudia Acuña and Alicia Olatuja plus Steve Wilson on alto saxophone, Ido Meshulam on trombone, Hans Glawischnig on bass, percussionist Rogerio Boccato and drummer Eric Harland, went to number eight and won the Grammy Award as Best Jazz Instrumental Album. He has released many jazz albums and recordings of classical compositions as part of a chamber jazz group and he is renowned for his arrangements of works for artists including Dianne Reeves, Gladys Knight, Michael Bublé, Yo-Yo Ma and Chris Botti.
Born in California, he learned to play as a child and studied at University of Southern California's Community School of the Performing Arts. While still a teenager, he toured Japan with the J.J. Johnson Quintet and spent six years with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's ensemble. He made his solo recording debut on 'Take for Example This' in 1988 with albums to follow including 'Twilight Is Upon Us' (1989), 'His April Touch' (1991) and 'Portrait of a Player' (1993). His 2000 release 'Bedtime Stories' was a tribute to Herbie Hancock and in 2001 he was nominated for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for 'Fascinating Rhythm' on another tribute album, Dianne Reeves's 'The Calling: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan'. He won that award in 2005 for 'What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?' on Chris Botti's album 'To Love Again: The Duets' featuring Sting.
Childs won the Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition in 2005 for the title track of 'Lyric'. He won the same award in 2010 for 'The Path Among the Trees' from the Billy Childs Ensemble release 'Autumn: In Moving Pictures Jazz - Chamber Music Vol. 2'. 'Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro' earned him a Grammy nomination as Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2014 and the song 'New York Tendaberry' won for Best Arrangement for Instruments and Vocals. The track 'And When I Die' from that album was nominated for Best American Roots Performance. Childs was nominated for Best Improvised Jjazz Solo for the track 'Dance of Shiva' on the Grammy-winning album 'Rebirth'. His 2018 schedule included appearances in Illinois and California with a residency in December at the Musik Akademie in Basel, Switzerland.
