Tom Roberts

Tom Roberts (born 1962) is an American pianist, composer, and arranger, a specialist in the stride piano style, and an expert on early jazz piano and jazz recordings. Tom is a master of all early jazz piano styles including ragtime, boogie woogie, swing, New Orleans jazz, and Harlen Stride piano.

Early years Tom Roberts grew up in Swisshelm Park, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was the eldest of three brothers. His grandparents lived across the street and Roberts learned to play piano on his grandmother's player piano. for three years while continuing to pursue his goal of performing jazz. After giving Leon Redbone an audition tape, he caught the man's attention and Redbone offered Roberts a contract to go on tour with him. In Roberts's first performance on that tour, he played on stage at The Tonight Show During his stay there, Roberts released his first solo album, Night Cap, in 1999.

New York City In late 1999, Roberts relocated to New York City. In 2003, he performed twice at New York's Carnegie Hall,

Roberts formed the Allegheny City Ragtime Orchestra in order to share lost ragtime music, especially music written by local Pittsburgh composers, with a contemporary audience. Roberts is a music historian with a special focus on the early jazz era and Pittsburgh jazz musicians. (artist, illustrator, and musician) and Wayne "Wayno" Honath (the current cartoonist of the Bizarro (comic strip)), was featured in Rick Sebak's 2020 holiday special, Happy Holidays In Pittsburgh.

Additional arrangements and performances On September 19, 1998, Roberts performed on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion with Leon Redbone. He also performed with Redbone on The Statler Brothers Show on TNN In 2006, Roberts wrote a number of arrangements for Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for a concert featuring the music of Louis Armstrong that took place that October. He also arranged music for the syndicated Public Radio International show Riverwalk Jazz, and for Live From the Landing with the Jim Cullum Jazz Band. In 2008, Roberts was commissioned to write arrangements of Oscar Levant's Blame It On My Youth and a medley of Earl Hines compositions for The Pittsburgh Concert Chorale to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of Pittsburgh.

Roberts earned international recognition as an expert in the stride piano style he was the featured pianist at the International Stride Piano Summit in Zurich, Switzerland.

In our humble opinion, Tom Roberts is without question one of the finest pianists today in the exciting Harlem stride piano style...

— JazzBeat Magazine

Tom Roberts has recorded over 40 albums including Any Time with Leon Redbone, Rebecca Kilgore with Hal Smith's California Swing Cats (Audiophile, 2015) The Lion's Den (Stomp Off Records, 2003) Charlie Caranicas & Tom Roberts - Move Over (Black Knight Records, 2007) Barbara Rosene And Her New Yorkers – It Was Only A Sun Shower (Stomp Off, 2007) Barbara Rosene – All My Life (Azica, 2005) Stride Summit (Harlem Piano Highlights) (2004) Dan Levinson's Roof Garden Jass Band – Echoes In The Wax (Stomp Off Records, 2003) Any Time (Rounder, 2001) Dan Levinson's Roof Garden Jass Band – Blue Roses Of Far And Near (Stomp Off Records, 2000) "Pam" Pameijer's New Jazz Wizards – The Music Of Louis Armstrong: Hot 5 & 7 Vol.1 (Stomp Off Records, 2000) Roberts Plays Roberts (Stomp Off Records, 1999) New Orleans Jazz Party (ZYX Records, 1998) Dan Levinson's Roof Garden Jass Band – Salutes The ODJB And The Beginning Of Recorded Jazz (Loup-Garous Productions, 1998) Night Cap (Solo Art, 1997) Stealin' Apples by California Swing Cats (Jazzology Records, 1996) Jelly's Best Jam (Good Time Jazz, 1993) Streets and Scenes of New Orleans with the Silver Leaf Jazz Band (Good Time Jazz, 1993)

Silent movie film scores Nosferatu: 100th Anniversary presentation for The Pittsburgh Silent Film Society - New composition in 2022 for the first annual Silent Film Day Blackmail by Alfred Hitchcock - New Composition in 2021 Charlie Chaplin Centennial Celebration 2012 to present The Monkey Talks (1913) - New Composition in 2013 Kid Auto Races (1914) - New composition in 2019 The Pawn Shop (1916) - New composition in 2015 One A.M. (1916) - New composition in 2012 The Rink (1916) - New composition in 2012 Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (1926) starring Harry Langdon - New composition for the Andy Warhol Museum (2014) Special Delivery (1927) starring Eddie Cantor - New composition