FreeJazz / Blues
About this event
Throughout his critically acclaimed recordings as a leader and collaborator with numerous leading jazz figures and world-class ensembles, Ryan Cohan has masterfully walked the line of writer and player, proving himself time and again to be a composer of rare vision as well as a versatile, powerfully expressive pianist.Recognized for his ingenuity and virtuosity (Chicago Tribune), Cohans expansive body of work ranges from compositions for solo piano to symphony orchestra. His albums of original music include One Sky, Another Look, and The River, the latter featuring a sixty-minute suite inspired by his travels in Africa. His large-ensemble recording Originations (Origin Records) synthesizes Middle Eastern and other world music influences with classical compositional elements and improvisation, earning a DownBeat Editors Pick and recognition as one of the Chicago Tribunes Best Jazz Recordings of 2020. His latest project, Prism, had its world premiere at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival in late 2025.Cohan has toured internationally as a cultural ambassador for the U.S. Department of State in partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center, leading ensembles across Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. These tours emphasized collaboration with local musicians and the role of music in fostering empathy and connection across cultures.His career includes performances with jazz luminaries and elite large ensembles such as Freddie Hubbard, Randy Brecker, Joe Locke, Kurt Elling, Andy Narell, Paquito DRivera, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Orbert Daviss Chicago Jazz Philharmonic. Cohan worked closely with Ramsey Lewis for over seven years, contributing more than twenty compositions and arrangements to the late NEA Jazz Masters recorded and live performance repertoire and writing the theme for Lewiss nationally syndicated television series The Legends of Jazz. Additional projects include orchestral work for Joe Lockes recording Wish Upon a Star and commissions for the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra.A Guggenheim Fellow and winner of the George Duke Commissioning Prize from the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra, Cohan has also received major awards and grants from Chamber Music America, New Music USA, the Sundance Institute, the Aaron Copland Fund, and the Illinois Arts Council. As an educator, he has served as artist-in-residence at international festivals and universities and on faculty at institutions including the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Skidmore Jazz Institute. He continues to work as a clinician at schools and music programs across the U.S. and abroad, maintaining a strong commitment to mentorship and musical exchange.