Bill Cunliffe

Grammy Award-winning pianist, composer, and arranger Bill Cunliffe is a multifaceted musician known for his innovative approach to jazz, from intricate solo work to lush big band compositions, and his unique ability to create exciting improvisational collaborations with emerging artists as well as some of jazz’s most legendary straight ahead jazz performers. A graduate of Duke University and the Eastman School of Music, and the winner of the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition, Cunliffe continues to perform globally as a leader and a soloist with symphony orchestras. 

Cunliffe’s recent recordings include the highly acclaimed trio album, Trio (2021), featuring the legendary rhythm section of bassist John Patitucci and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta. In 2022, he also released the trio recording, Border Widows Lament, with his long-standing trio featuring bassist Martin Wind and drummer Tim Horner.

Cunliffe is also the founder of the exciting new Acid Cole Trio with LA legends guitarist Larry Koonse, (Billy Childs, Bob Mintzer, Bob Brookmeyer and Seth McFarland) and bassist Darek Oles (Brad Mehldau, Pat Metheny, Chris Potter) set to release their first album Live at Meyhouse in 2026.

Later this year, he’s bringing his jazz storytelling show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and recording his piano concerto with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Some of Cunliffe’s best known compositions include his three-part composition "Rainforest," and “Fourth Stream, la Banda” (nominated for a Grammy in 2010. His film scoring work continues to evolve, with his latest efforts including a film noir by Singaporean director Ying J. Tan, and several projects with the well-known actress and filmmaker Dorothy Lyman (All My Children, Mama’s Family).

With a rich and varied career, Cunliffe has performed and toured with jazz icons such as James Moody, Freddie Hubbard, and Benny Golson, and with vocalists like Marlena Shaw, Mark Murphy, and Natalie Cole. His work with the Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra,  and the Clayton Brothers, Terell Stafford and Joe La Barbera Quintets further cemented his reputation as a first-call collaborator in the jazz world.

A celebrated arranger and composer, he was awarded a Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement for "West Side Story Medley" from the album Resonance Big Band Plays Tribute to Oscar Peterson. He has also earned multiple other Grammy nominations, including for his works Overture, Waltz and Rondo and the film score for the award-winning documentary On the Shoulders of Giants, produced by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Beyond the stage, Bill Cunliffe is a dedicated educator, sharing his expertise at institutions like Cal State Fullerton, the Skidmore Jazz Institute, and the Vail Jazz Workshop, as well as being a former professor at Central State University and Temple University. He is also known for his highly regarded jazz keyboard educational book series, which has become a standard reference set for aspiring jazz musicians.