Tim Crofts

Official Bio

Pianist Tim Crofts was born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and in 2001 received his Bachelor of Music in Composition from Dalhousie University in Halifax. From 2002 through 2005 he attended the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts earning a Masters of Music in Contemporary Improvisation.

During his time at NEC, Tim studied with Hankus Netsky, Ran Blake, and Joe Maneri, and formed the Consensus quartet performing improvised chamber music in the style of Anton Webern and Morton Feldman.

Since returning to Halifax in 2005, Tim has been active in both the performance and education of improvised music. In 2005, he formed the Live Animal Trio with laptop/bassist Lukas Pearse and drummer Doug Cameron, a trio combining improvisation with sampling and digital media performing regularly at the Atlantic Jazz festival. He has co-directed the SuddenlyLISTEN bi-weekly improvisation workshop with cellist Norman Adams since 2006, and has regularly been presented by suddenlyLISTEN with the Crofts/Adams/Pearse trio. He has performed with the Upstream Orchestra, including a July 2007 performance featuring the Live Animal Trio and Fred Frith, Lisle Ellis, Pierre Tanguay, and Paul Cram which was broadcast on the CBC radio program The Signal.

In October of 2007, Tim performed in the SuddenlyLISTEN presentation “Roots of the Moment” with Norman Adams and world renowned improvising percussionist Eddie Prevost, and in the fall of 2008 Tim presented “Eight Ball and Door Knob”, a solo concert of new and experimental music.

The winter of 2009 spawned Zakugaku, featuring guitarist Geordie Haley and percussionist Doug Cameron. Zakugaku combine free jazz and electronic experimentalism to create a free wheeling sonic experience that is not to be missed.