Biography

Kim Pensyl is a prolific jazz recording artist, composer, arranger, and producer who has twice been named one of Billboard’s Top-20 Contemporary Jazz Artists of the Year. A pianist and trumpeter, he has had four Top-10 albums on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart.

He has recorded with jazz legends such as Toots Thielemans, and modern greats like Joey Calderazzo, Bob Mintzer, Chiele Minucci, Andy Narell, Will Kennedy, Steve Rodby, and Alex Acuna. He has performed at such esteemed jazz venues as The Blue Note, Blues Alley, Caravan of Dreams, Scullers, the Beacon Theatre, and the Great American Music Hall. He has also appeared at the Clearwater Jazz Festival, Sunfest, Summerfest, Stone Mountain Jazz Festival, and Pacific Jazz Festival among others. Also, Kim has toured with the Woody Herman Orchestra and Acoustic Alchemy. He has more than 100 published works recorded and over 150 compositions and arrangements in his catalog. Great reviews from DownBeat, Jazziz, Jazz Times and others have followed him during his career, echoing the feelings that fans have about his music.

Kim is an associate professor of music in the jazz studies and commercial music production departments at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and is very active in his college teaching and program development, including the new Commercial Music Production program.  Kim writes and performs with the Faculty Jazztet and guest artists at CCM, like Dave Liebman, Arturo Sandavol, Wynton Marsalis, Bob Mintzer, Terri Lyne Carrington, Rufus Reid, John Clayton, and Mulgrew Miller among others.  Kim performs around Cincinnati and Central Ohio in various groups with Phil DeGreg, Rick VanMatre, and many others.  He is a member of the Blue Wisp Big Band, Pat Kelly’s Psycho Acoustic Orchestra, Hank Maunter’s Masterworks Orchestra, Carmon DeLeone’s New Studio Big Band, and Brasilia.