Jazz pianist, composer, arranger, producer, Yamaha® artist and Grammy® winner Laurence Hobgood has enjoyed a 30+year career. Highlights include three consecutive fellowships to the Aspen Music Festival, being chosen as a Chicagoan of the Year in the Arts, a 2003 Deems Taylor Award given by ASCAP for the year’s outstanding music journalism, multiple Grammy® nominations, and a 2010 Grammy® Award.

Laurence Hobgood has played at many of the world’s most prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the White House, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Tanglewood, Hollywood Bowl, and the Sydney Opera House. For almost 20 years he served as pianist/arranger/co-producer for singer Kurt Elling, during which time he wrote virtually all of the material on Elling’s first ten albums, all of which received Grammy® nominations.

In 2016, Hobgood launched a new project, The Laurence Hobgood Trio, with bassist John Patitucci and drummer Kendrick Scott, and is now touring with current members Matt Clohesy and Jared Schonig. The trio’s debut CD, Honor Thy Fathers, is a musical tribute not only to Hobgood’s own father, but to all of the musicians who have inspired him. In his Downbeat review, Howard Mandel wrote: Overall the ambiance is warm, dark and reflective, which is not to discount Hobgood’s strategically big, broad voicings, streaming glissandi and consistently perfect articulation. Michael J. West of Jazz Times called the album a sublime statement , and Howard Reich had this to say in the Chicago Tribune about a recent performance: Just as Honor Thy Fathers can be considered Hobgood’s strongest recording to date, this band may provide his best musical forum yet, opening a major new chapter in his career.

For the spring 2018 tour in Australia, Laurence will be touring with Danny Fischer and Sam Anning.