Professional Entertainment

	Bill Anschell Pianist also available with the Bill Anschell Combo
Seattle pianist/composer Bill Anschell attended Oberlin College and Wesleyan University, receiving a music degree from the latter in 1982. "While at Wesleyan, he studied privately with Bill Barron, composition; and T Ranganathon, South Indian rhythmic theory. He later spent three years in Madison, Wisconsin, where he worked with legendary bassist Richard Davis and was featured in an hour-long special over Wisconsin Public Radio.
	From 1989 to 2002 he lived in Atlanta, working extensively both as a bandleader and as a sideman for visiting and resident jazz artists. During that period his trio appeared in leading events across the Southeast, including the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, the Atlanta Jazz Festival, and Piccolo Spoleto. In the fall of 1996, Anschell led the trio on an 18-concert tour of Central and South America. They returned in 1999 and 2001 for follow-up tours of Brazil, Peru and Paraguay.
From 1992 to 1996, Anschell worked extensively with vocalist Nnenna Freelon, serving as her musical director and pianist. In that capacity, Anschell performed in festivals and concert halls across the U.S. and throughout Europe. Among the group's many touring highlights were appearances at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland, the Nice Festival in France, the Monterrey Jazz Festival in California, and the Kennedy Center in Washington. Their performances were widely broadcast on radio and television including National Public Radio's "JazzSet," hosted by Branford Marsalis; Radio France; and French national television.
	Anschell's original compositions are featured on Freelon's CBS recordings Heritage and Listen, and on her Concord release, Shaking Free. He also appears as a guest pianist on Listen, and is featured as pianist and arranger throughout Shaking Free, which was nominated for a Grammy as best Jazz Vocal Recording in 1996.
Anschell released his own debut CD, Rhythm Changes, in 1995, and was praised by reviewers for his composing, arranging, and piano playing on the disc. He appeared as the featured artist in the December, 1997 issue of Jazz Player magazine, which included a "play-along" CD of his original music. Anschell's follow-up recording, A Different Note All Together. was released in 1998 by Accurate Records. The CD spent eight weeks in the top 50 for jazz airplay nationally, and was selected by United Press International (UPI) as one of the "10 Best" jazz releases of the year.
Anschell's 2001 CD, When Cooler Heads Prevail (Summit Records) is the first recording to feature him exclusively in the trio format. It spent eleven weeks on the national radio airplay charts, and received a full-page profile in JazzTimes.
Anschell is also widely known for his work as a writer and producer. He has written articles for numerous arts periodicals and is the author of two books: Jazz In the Concert Setting, published by the Association of Performing Arts Presenters; and Who Can I Turn To?, published by the Southern Arts Federation (SAF). He is also the creator and producer of SAF's JazzSouth, an innovative radio program broadcast on more that 200 stations internationally since 1992.