Joel Forrester is the composer of more than 1600 tunes, a versatile and accomplished jazz pianist, leader of his own quintet, co-leader of the legendary Microscopic Septet and a prolific recording artist who also penned the theme to NPR's Fresh Air. He has performed in an extraordinary diversity of settings - from large ensembles to a duet setting with a tap dancer. His playing draws from stride, boogie-woogie, bebop, trance and what he likes to call “salon pieces” but each composition bears the stamp of this most individual artist.