BIOGRAPHY

"Victor Noriega has developed a distinct personal style that is both inventive and adventurous... his piano playing is crisp and articulate, and his compositions fuse Classical and Filipino folk elements with a jazz aesthetic. One moment his playing is reminiscent of the intricate contrapuntal lines in a Bach fugue, and the next the percussive dissonance of Bartok's music for piano... Listening to Noriega perform is like hearing the pieces of a puzzle come together into a satisfying whole."

- Earshot Jazz

With a taste for adventure and pushing the boundaries, award-winning pianist/composer Victor Noriega spins a sophisticated web of emotion, intellect, and risk-taking in his music, creating a style that is all his own.

Drawing inspiration from a variety of genres and artists, ranging from the dark elegance of Maurice Ravel to the angular aesthetic of Thelonious Monk, Noriega has captivated audiences worldwide with an authentic sound on the piano and an inventive approach to improvisation and composition. Critics have compared him to piano greats Brad Mehldau, Erik Satie and Dave Brubeck. Victor has studied with pianists Marc Seales, Dave Peck, Jerome Gray along with jazz luminaries Dave Douglas, Bill Frisell and Jason Moran.

Victor has performed for a variety of audiences at jazz music festivals and top jazz venues throughout the U.S., Canada and Asia. Based primarily in Seattle, Victor works with esteemed Northwest-based musicians including Jay Thomas, Mark Taylor and Hadley Calliman. Featured performances in North America include the Earshot Jazz Festival, The Banff International Jazz Festival, Bumbershoot, and The 2nd Annual Filipino-American Jazz Festival, as well as numerous jazz club engagements on both coasts. He has also performed and recorded with nationally recognized artists Mark Turner and George Lewis.

An active touring musician, Victor was most recently featured in the 2007 Philippine International Jazz and Arts Festival. In Asia, Victor holds regular performances and has maintained a musical presence in the fast-rising Shanghai Jazz Scene over the last few years, which has also helped develop his name on an international level.

Victor was born in Vancouver B.C., Canada and raised in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Like many Filipino households, Victor's childhood home was filled with music, from Filipino classics to American jazz standards, all played on the family piano. Victor began his musical career in Seattle, Washington where he studied jazz music under a full scholarship from the University of Washington and began performing with other music students at local jazz venues. After graduation, Victor worked tirelessly to establish himself in Seattle's local jazz scene, quickly gaining recognition as a player to watch.

In 2004 The Victor Noriega Trio's debut album Stone's Throw was released to enthusiastic response earning rave reviews and frequent radio play. The success of Stone's Throw resulted in wider appreciation of Victor's talent and additional opportunities for Victor to perform and record his music. In 2005 Earshot Jazz named Victor Seattle's Emerging Artist of the Year and the Jack Straw Foundation awarded Victor a full-residency grant, which funded the recording of Victor's 2nd album, Alay, which was released last year.

The album is a tribute to the music of Victor's cross-cultural heritage; Filipino in it's source material and American in its jazz-based deconstruction and re-interpretation. Alay has won critical acclaim across the globe, and in the U.S. Alay was named by Earshot jazz the 2006 Northwest Recording of the Year and Victor was recognized as the 2006 Instrumentalist of the Year.

THE VICTOR NORIEGA TRIO, with Willie Blair on bass and Eric Eagle on drums, has been playing music together since 2001. Willie, a graduate of Cornish College of the Arts, and Eric, of William Paterson University, are both very accomplished musicians in their own right. This dynamic trio was honored as a nominee for the 2005 Golden Ear Awards in the category of Northwest Acoustic Jazz Group.

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PRESS/REVIEWS

John Reid, Keith Community Radio, Keith Banffshire, Scotland on ALAY: "This is indeed an innovative recording, at times complex and containing many moods and rhythm's... After several listenings the melodies and harmonies fall into place and the high quality of Musicianship from the trio becomes apparent. There is no substitute for class, a great recording."

Gordon Todd, Jazz Music director, KBCS 91.3, FM Seattle, "“Stone'’s Throw” is an impressive debut recording from a pianist and composer of considerable talent. Noriega’s tunes crackle with individuality, making it clear that his ambitions reside in innovation, not imitation. Introspective at times, energetic and boundary-stretching at others, these tunes seamlessly blend jazz and modern classical influences, expertly rendered by Noriega and his trio."”

Earshot Jazz magazine, May 2004 by Todd Matthews, "Noriega is a gifted composer who seems to approach the music from a classically-trained perspective. His tunes are layered, complex, interesting and rhythmic... Noriega has so much up his sleeve, the end result is a richness that is exciting to hear... this is very original songwriting that leaves a listener feeling that he or she has gone on an uncharted musical journey of sorts.”"