Jarrod Champion

Bio

Jarrod Champion is a self-taught pianist, vocalist, organist, songwritier and multi-instrumentalist.  Born in a suburb east of Detroit, Michigan, he's the son of two working class parents, both trained pianists.  Originally based in rock and roll, Jarrod eventually spread out into the prominent jazz, blues, soul and traditional country/folk circuits found in and around Detroit.  He is and has been a member of numerous musical groups including The Sights, Ryan Dillaha and The Miracle Men, Jennifer Westwood and The Handsome Devils and The Brunswick Brawlers.

Jarrod is also an active live and studio session musician and has written music for stage plays, films and video productions.  He also writes and performs his own original music under his own name releasing one full length album and two e.p.'s.  In addition, Jarrod also fronts his own jazz and blues ensembles as well as a New Orleans style jazz, blues and swing group performing under the name Jarrod Champion and the Sunny Side Street Band. 

Jarrod has toured extensively across the U.S. and Europe performing at numerous festivals including South by Southwest and The Sasquatch Festival and in such classic venues as The Ryman Auditorium, The Hammerstein Ballroom and Red Rocks Amphitheater.  He is currently a house pianist at some of Detroit's finest establishments and can be found playing a wide variety of music in a town near you.

Original Recordings

Videos

Lament (original composition)

Underground Hero (original composition)

Nobody Knows You (When You're Down and Out)

JC and the Royal Keys - "(Every Time I Hear) That Mellow Saxophone"

Wee Small Hours (video by: Victor Pytko)

WDET (Detroit NPR) Says...

His roots are deep in Detroit, but  when he sits in front of the keys, Jarrod Champion’s sound makes its way to the south, over in the dixieland and delta. Ask anyone, he’s one of the best in the city. If it’s top notch Detroit made music you seek, look no further.
 - WDET's Travis Wright

Metroit Times Detroit says...

CRITIC'S PICK: SING US A SONG YOU'RE THE....
"...ivory tickler Jarrod Champion and his Sleeps Till Dusk entourage of notable Detroit musicians play songs that move like lullabies for the 18-and-older crowd. At turns melancholy, hopeful, haunting and beautiful, Champion's quasi-jazz and -blues piano, dusky vocals and his band's pop-oriented instrumentation create a sound that is both smart and soothing, compelling and convincing. "

Megan O'Neil, The Metro Times

Real Detroit Weekly says...

"Stylized folk balladry, nocturnal narratives and closing time croons burn with the romanticism of Jeff Buckley. This tight-knit quintet burns classy, brooding blues."

Jeff Milo, Real Detroit Weekly

CDreviews.com says...

"I really didn’t care what he sounded like. Just seeing the handmade case impressed me enough to give him a listen and a nod. Slick production, smoky and jazzy piano, and rough vocals (think a dustier Michael Buble without all the Sinatra charm). Sleeps Till Dusk and Jarrod Champion deserve a frickin’ record deal. He knows his music and how to make a tune. Each one seems to come out of nowhere and sweeps me into an open field, eyes gazing at the sky."

Jake Nuckolls, cdreviews.com

DetroitBuzz.com says...

"...The band’s record is a refreshing turn into the piano based, jazz leaning sound that a lot of popular bands are emulating these days. It seems like most bands that dive into this genre of music are just waiting for the moment where MTV or some teen show picks up their song and it becomes the ringtone on some 13-year-old girl’s phone. But Champion’s music is far too smart to fall into any of those trappings...There are some truly hauntingly appealing moments on the record: On tracks like 'Sober', Champion comes off chilling, but his vocals hit an emotional chord with the listener. At some points, the music heads into a throwback of singer songwriter types of the past on tracks such as 'Owed' and 'Language'."

Art Michalski, Detroit Buzz

Contact

Contact Jarrod Champion: 
jarrodlchampion@gmail.com
(586) 219-3875
www.jarrodchampion.com