Discovery Series: Valerie Capers

Who Is Valerie Capers?

Valerie Capers is an African-American pianist and composer, and the first blind graduate of The Juilliard School. Her Portraits in Jazz capture twelve different jazz styles in highly appealing pieces for intermediate pianists, and were inspired by her own fond memories of studying works by Bach, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, and Prokofiev that are of similar length and difficulty. The Portraits are experiencing a surge of interest with teachers and students and appear destined to take their place in the intermediate repertoire beside those works by long-established composers.

We are thrilled to begin presenting Valerie Capers, and her Portraits in Jazz at Entrada!

Billie’s Song

One of Capers’s most popular pieces is Billie’s Song, a tribute to jazz and swing singer Billie Holiday. Take a listen to Fred’s rendition of this heartfelt piece while Capers describes what inspired her to write it.  

Capers: New Masterclasses

A Taste of Bass

Do you enjoy hearing jazz? Do you enjoy playing it–or think you might? Check out Fred Karpoff’s Masterclass on A Taste of Bass from Valerie Capers’s Portraits in Jazz. Inspired by jazz bassist Ron Carter, you’ll explore swing rhythm, accents, the walking bass, and pianistic fingerings.

Ella Scats the Little Lamb

Fred demonstrates several ways to scat the melody in Ella Scats… and inspires you to take chances to express yourself with your voice–both in this piece and also in most everything you play, including your classical repertoire. He passes on insights he gained directly from Valerie Capers and suggests ways to pace and swing the piece, and to execute the bop accents in a jazz style.

An Interview with Valerie Capers

Has Valerie Capers piqued your interest as much as she did ours? Entrada is excited to share Fred Karpoff’s scintillating interview with Valerie Capers. Learn about Dr. Capers’s rich musical life, the inspiration behind Portraits in Jazz, and some ways that race and blindness have impacted her career.