Gary Versace

Keyboardist Gary Versace was able to rise to the top of the contemporary jazz scene in scant few years, yet the journey to prominence was hard fought and deservedly won. Born in Greenwich, CN April 25, 1968, his initial lessons came from his mother who was a vocalist and organist. Urged by his father to try the accordion, he instead gravitated to the piano, and eventually to jazz by high school. Versace took private lessons with Kevin Hays, studied at the Eastman School of Music where he attained his Masters in music performance, taught at the University of Oregon-Portland as ...