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bio:

Born and raised in Minnesota, Jesse Stacken began playing piano at the age of ten.  He quickly developed a passion for jazz improvisation and began playing professionally at the age of 16.  Jesse moved to New York City in 2002, where he now lives and performs with artists such as Michael Blake, Tyshawn Sorey, Peter Van Huffel, Liam Sillery, Sherisse Rogers, and Erica vonKleist. Jesse has appeared at noted New York City venues including Carnegie Hall, the Jazz Gallery, the Jazz Standard, the Stone, 55bar, the Cornelia St. Café, the Center for Improvisational Music, and Barbes.  He leads the Jesse Stacken Trio, which has been together since 2005 and has released two critically acclaimed albums on Fresh Sound records, That That (2008) and Magnolia (2010). The Jesse Stacken/ Kirk Knuffke duo released Mockingbird - The Music of Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington on the Steeplechase label in August 2009.  Mockingbird was voted "best tribute recording" of 2009 by All About Jazz - New York. Jesse has toured North and South America, Europe, and Japan, and is featured on recordings such as Peter Van Huffel Quartet Like the Rusted Key, and Silvester Battlefield (Fresh Sound), Liam Sillery Minor Changes, Outskirts, and Phenomenology (OA2 records), Erica vonKleist Project E (self-released), and Sherisse Roger’s Sleight of Hand (self released) featuring Donny McCaslin, Joel Frahm, and Dave Liebman. Jesse has also recently performed with acclaimed jazz artists Rufus Reid, and Chris Potter.