SongVault Artist Profile

Steve August originally started his musical career early in his teens playing electric bass in Rock Bands with high school buddies. He played electric bass in power trios influenced by the Cream and Jimi Hendrix and the like as well as the popular music of that era. This led to performing in Jazz trios after discovering Jazz by listening to Oscar Peterson's "Tristeza". He started to study the piano to enhance his bass playing and knowledge of music and quickly fell in the love with the instrument. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston studying both electric bass and piano early in his career. That led to various working situations on the road with many groups. Soon after that, through an association with the late great Jazz Pianist Eddie Russ, Steve attended Grand Valley State University studying Jazz Piano with him and Classical Piano there too. After graduation from GVSC he played in numerous bands both as a soloist and as a sideman either on piano or electric bass. Later he received a Master of Music degree studying with Steve Zegree at Western Michigan University.

Steve has a very rich eclectic piano style drawing on the deep traditions of Classical music and reaching into the Blues, Ragtime, Boogie Woogie and many Jazz Piano styles. In addition to a demanding performance schedule Steve has a very full teaching studio with many aspiring pianists and other students studying both Classical and Jazz Piano with him. In June of 2002 he started SUMMER JAZZ which is a weeklong Jazz workshop teaching improvisation styles and techniques open to students of all levels. This workshop is offered in the summer months annually. Steve also currently lectures frequently on the topic of Jazz at various Colleges and institutions offering cultural enrichment activities.