Jeff Novotny

Jeff Novotny is a jazz composer/producer and author of the books I Can't Wait to Never Do That Again (a compendium of jokes and anecdotes), The Man in the Van (a satirical parody of children's literature), and Jazz Piano Solos, under the Staten House imprint.

Jeff's comedy writing can be described as bizarre and often dark, yet markedly intelligent. More cerebral and sophisticated than typical comedy, educated readers will enjoy the mixture of pop-culture references and surrealism.

His music is a bold, adventurous mix which defies easy categorization. An overarching jazz character incorporates diverse elements such as rock, metal, electronics, and world music, with a few "legit" forms such as bebop and stride piano, but all with a modern flavor. Unpredictable in both harmony, form, and texture, the listener never knows quite what to expect in the next few seconds, much less how the pieces will unfold over time. The structure of many of these pieces lies somewhere between developing variation (akin to modern classical music) and a through-composed format, giving the pieces a film-like progression as they unfold.

Jeff studied classical music at the University of Pittsburgh and jazz composition at the University of Massachusetts, where he received a Master of Music (M.M.) degree. He has written and produced music for many types of jazz groups, solo piano, concert band, orchestra, and electronic music.

His music has been published in International Piano magazine and is available on Amazon Kindle. It also has been recorded by the Munich-based jazz-rock band Panzerballett, as well as the Norddeutsches Radio (NDR) Big Band in Hamburg, Germany. A native of Pittsburgh, PA, he is now based in Phoenix, AZ.