Geoff Eales presents A Feast of Music - a smorgasbord of classics, blues, folk, poetry and jazz.
Geoff Eales is one of Europe’s most eclectic and inspirational pianists and composers. Though a master of many genres, it is within the jazz arena that the full extent of his musical imagination is revealed.
Born in the Welsh mining town of Aberbargoed, he studied music at Cardiff University. His composition tutor was Professor Alun Hoddinott, his piano teacher Martin Jones. After graduating summa cum laude he went on to study for a Ph.D in musical composition as well as writing a thesis on the symphonic works of Aaron Copland.
After leaving university Geoff made a conscious decision to move away from academia towards a more practical career in music. Jazz had always been Geoff’s first love and it was no surprise when soon after locating to London he was offered the piano chair in the BBC Radio Big Band. Here, he was featured in well over 2,000 broadcasts during his four-year residency. In 1983 he left the BBC in order to pursue a career in the London studios, working alongside a host of musical luminaries including Andrew Lloyd Webber, Henry Mancini, Jerry Goldsmith, José Carreras and Shirley Bassey.
As the new millennium approached Geoff felt the need to change direction once again. He craved a more hands-on approach as opposed to playing a supportive role to others. This has resulted in the release of thirteen highly acclaimed jazz albums during the last twenty years.
Throughout the course of his long career Geoff has performed at many prestigious venues worldwide including New York’s Birdland, The Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles, the Blue Note Clubs of Japan, London’s Ronnie Scott’s and Purcell Room as well as jazz festivals such as Zagreb, Belgrade, Cork and Brecon.
Since 2017 Geoff has been developing a multi-media musical, Spirit of the Mine, based on the history of the Welsh coal-mining industry. This culminated in the Welsh premiere of the work on 22 October 2022 in front of a packed audience at the City United Reformed Church in Cardiff.