Ignasi Terraza

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Ignasi Terraza in 2006.

Ignasi Terraza, born July 14 1962, Barcelona, Spain, is a Catalan jazz pianist. Blind from the age of 10, he currently leads his own jazz trio playing both standards and tunes composed by the band-members, Frenchmen Pierre Boussaguet on bass and Jean Pierre Derouard on drums, touring Spain, Portugal, France and Switzerland.

With a degree in Computer Engineering, after three years dividing his time between his profession and music, Terraza decided to dedicate himself entirely to jazz in 1983, accompanying vocalists such as Charmin Michelle, Randy Greer, Michelle McCain, Lavelle or Stacey Kent, and jazz musicians Frank Wess, Jesse Davis, Gene "The Mighty Flea" Conners, Teddy Edwards, Ted Curson, Spike Robinson, Ralph Lalama or Brad Leali.

Apart from the current line-up, his own trios and quartets have included bassists Mario Rossy, Javier Colina, Jules Bekoko and Horacio Fumero, among others, and Gregory Hutchinson, Walter Perkins, Bobby Durham, Peer Wyboris, Jo Krause or Julian Vaughn on drums.

One particular association, divided into two stints (1985-1988 and 1996-2000) – was with vibraphonist and drummer Oriol Bordas, playing in trio/quartet formations and with the Barcelona Jazz Orchestra.

From 1990 to 1993, he co-led, with US guitarist David Mitchell, the Mitchell-Terraza Quartet, winning the "best new group" award at the 1991 Festival Internacional de Jazz de Guetxo.

Since 2003 he has also been teaching jazz piano at the Higher School of Music of Catalonia – Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya. Since 2006, his trio has accompanied singer Susana Sheiman at venues in both Madrid and Barcelona.