Bio

"His time is impeccable, his left hand formidable, his touch nuanced." – Ted Panken, DownBeat

"A passionate craftsman joyfully at ease with pre-swing idioms." – The New Yorker

"Buoyant interpretations leap from fluid, Art Tatum-ish runs to shimmering, Bill Evans-like harmonies." – The London Sunday Times

Largely self-taught, or rather, "old-schooled," Asherie learned the ropes at Smalls, spending much of his early teens becoming a fixture of the late-night jam sessions held at this now legendary Greenwich Village club in New York City. Mentored by the late Frank Hewitt, Asherie began to develop "his virtuosity and his ear for clean, crisp lines" (The Star-Ledger). Later, an admiration for earlier piano styles took hold; soon enough Asherie had absorbed them into his playing becoming, in the words of The New Yorker, "A master of swing and stride." His present style combines this broad tradition, merging idioms into a distinctly personalized approach.

Among numerous albums recorded as sideman, acclaimed album releases under Ehud Asherie’s leadership have included Shuffle Along which reinterpreted the music of Eubie Blake, Organic, which finds Asherie on organ, and Upper West Side and Lower East Side, duet projects featuring the saxophonist Harry Allen and his trio recording Music Makes Me. Asherie’s most recent trio recording is Wild Man Blues on the Capri Label.

Ehud has worked with a broad range of musicians including Cécile McLorin Salvant, Wycliffe Gordon, Catherine Russell, John Pizzarelli, and Charles McPherson, and has performed at clubs and festivals in South America, Europe, Asia, and throughout the U.S. His playing can be heard on numerous celebrated recordings, including the 2010 Grammy Award winning soundtrack of HBO's Boardwalk Empire. 

Beyond his dedication to jazz music, Ehud Asherie has also developed a passion for traditional Brazilian music. He has performed and recorded with acclaimed brazilian artists like Wilson das Neves, Duduka da Fonseca and Maucha Adnet. His appreciation and profound knowledge of the music can be heard in his new project “Discovering Ernesto Nazareth”.