Bill Laurance

Bill Laurance was born on 2 April 1981 and raised in North London, England. As a child he attended William Tyndale primary school, during which he began learning piano and playing with his school band.[4] At age 9 Laurance performed on organ during a school trip to London's renowned live-music venue Union Chapel, a locale he would later again perform at as an adult during the recording of his fourth studio album Live at Union Chapel.[5] Having been trained on ragtime and swing, Laurance first began playing jazz at the age of 14 when he became the resident performer for a small restaurant in the Soho district on the West End of London.[6] As an adult Laurance attended and graduated from the University of Leeds, studying classical music, composition, and performance.[6][7]

During his tenure at Leeds, Laurance met traveling University of North Texas jazz student Michael League, the two going on to perform a number of shows together in the UK.[7] It was here that League and Laurance became close friends. League subsequently invited Laurance to join jazz ensemble Snarky Puppy before the recording of the group's first studio album. With Snarky Puppy's first album The Only Constant releasing in 2006, it wasn't until 2014 when Laurance would go on to release his first solo album Flint.

Laurance is also an artist in residency at Morley College and has taught master classes as a visiting lecturer with The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance.[8][9]

Laurance was a 2018 participant of the Sundance Institute Film Music and Sound Design Lab, taking place at Skywalker Sound in California.[10] His debut feature film score was for Un Traductor (2018),[11] an independent drama by directing brothers Sebastián and Rodrigo Barriuso which was named as Cuba's official entry for the 92nd Academy Awards.[12][13] Laurance also wrote several themes for Initials S.G. (2019),[11] a film for which co-director and writer Rania Attieh won the 2019 Nora Ephron award at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival.[14][15] Laurance has also worked alongside Marcus Eaton as composer for the 2019 documentary David Crosby: Remember My Name.[11][16]

Laurance frequently collaborated with the guitarist, singer, and songwriter David Crosby. He co-wrote and featured on piano in Crosby's track Your Own Ride, lifted from the 2018 album, Here If You Listen.[17] Laurance is also featured on two tracks from Crosby's 2016 studio album, Lighthouse. Additionally, Laurance provided piano on the recording Somebody Home, dual featured on both Crosby's 2017 album Sky Trails,[18] and Snarky Puppy's 2016 album Family Dinner – Volume 2.[19] In a 2018 interview, Crosby described Laurance as "one of the best piano players I've ever met in my life."[20]

In November 2018, Laurance collaborated with the WDR Big Band of Cologne, performing concerts at Kölner Philharmonie[21] and Southbank's Queen Elizabeth Hall[22] in London. The concert in Cologne was recorded and resulted in a live album consisting of nine Laurance compositions, arranged by bandleader Bob Mintzer.[23]

As a member of Snarky Puppy, Laurance has collaborated with a number of artists and groups, including the Metropole Orkest, with whom the band won a GRAMMY award for the 2016 album, Sylva.[24] As part of their Family Dinner Vol.1 and Family Dinner Vol. 2 albums, Laurance collaborated with artists including Lalah Hathaway (whom he also accompanied at the GroundUP Music Festival in 2019[25]), Salif Keita, Susana Baca, Laura Mvula and Jacob Collier.

• 2014 - British newspaper The Guardian published an article praising studio album Flint, titling Laurance a "jazz maestro".[26]
• 2014 - Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance as a member of Snarky Puppy for title Something, featuring Lalah Hathaway, from the Snarky Puppy album Family Dinner Volume II
• 2015 - UK digital radio station Jazz FM awarded Laurance as 'Breakthrough Act of the Year'.[27]
• 2016 - Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album as a member of Snarky Puppy for the album Sylva by Snarky Puppy and Metropole Orkest.[28]
• 2017 - Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album as a member of Snarky Puppy for the album Culcha Vulcha by Snarky Puppy.[28]
• 2017 - Online magazine UDiscoverMusic named Laurance's first live album Live at Union Chapel to their 2017 list of 'The 50 Greatest Live Jazz Albums', as well as Snarky Puppy's Sylva with Metropole Orkest.[29]
• 2021 - Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album as a member of Snarky Puppy for the album Live At The Royal Albert Hall by Snarky Puppy.[28]

As group member or sideman: [43][44]

with Eddie Roberts

• Roughneck (Live In Paris) (One Note Records, 2006)
• The Eddie Roberts Quintet Trenta (One Note Records, 2007)
• Eddie Roberts & Freckles Move (One Note Records, 2010)

with Snarky Puppy

• The Only Constant (Sitmom, 2006)
• Bring Us the Bright (Sitmom, 2008)
• Tell Your Friends (Ropeadope, 2010)
• groundUP (GroundUP, 2012)
• Amkeni with Bukuru Celestin (Ropeadope, 2013)
• Family Dinner – Volume 1 (Ropeadope, 2013)
• We Like It Here (Ropeadope, 2014)
• Sylva with Metropole Orkest (Impulse!, 2015)
• Family Dinner – Volume 2 (GroundUP, Universal Music Classics, 2016)
• Culcha Vulcha (GroundUP, 2016)
• Immigrance (GroundUP, 2019)
• Live at the Royal Albert Hall (GroundUP, 2020)

with Gabby Young & Other Animals

• One Foot in Front of the Other (Fontana North/Musebox. 2014)

with David Crosby

• Lighthouse (Decca / Groundup Music, 2016)
• Sky Trails (BMG, 2017)
• Here If You Listen (BMG, 2018)

with Ana Silvera

• Oracles (Gearbox Records, 2016)

with The Sachal Ensemble

• Song of Lahore (Universal, 2016)

featured on:

• Mad Mats: Digging Beyond the Crates (BBE, 2017)
• Modern Jazz Dance Classics, Vol. 1 (Staubgold, 2019)

• Official Website