Eric Mintel

A native of Bucks County, Pa. and alumnus of Pennridge High School, pianist Eric Mintel has been entertaining audiences since the early ’90s with a style NPR’s “Piano Jazz” has described as “straight-ahead but energetic, lyrical and always swinging.” As a teen he became inspired to play jazz after listening to an old Dave Brubeck album; years later, in 2005, Mintel and his quartet would open for Brubeck at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center. “[Brubeck] has been an inspiration to me both musically as well as humanly,” Mintel told New Jersey Stage in December 2020, ahead of a virtual concert Mintel and his quartet played in celebration of Brubeck’s centennial. “I have learned a lot of life lessons and a very hard work ethic as a jazzman from him. It goes beyond the music.” In addition to several engagements over the years at the Kennedy Center, Mintel and his quartet have performed at the White House for both Presidents Clinton and Obama as well as at the United Nations. Mintel has released over 15 albums, and from 2000 to 2013, he released close to an album per year. Mintel and his regular quartet of Nelson Hill on alto sax, Dave Mohn on drums, and Jack Hegyi on bass have played together for nearly two decades. And in addition to playing straight jazz gigs, they’re also known for fusing jazz with classical choral music, playing Duke Ellington’s choral music with choirs across the country.

Photo Credit: Jonathan Broady