Kris Tokarski performs at the New Orleans Jazz Museum on Friday, January 12 at 2pm. Tickets are $5.25 and available at the door or online here.

About:

Kris Tokarski was born and raised just outside of New York City, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Growing up in a Hungarian – American household, he was raised on classical music and Hungarian folk music. 

Kris attended and completed his bachelor's degree at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. While there, he would make regular pilgrimages back to New York to study with bebop master, Barry Harris. 

In 2011, Tokarski moved to New Orleans to complete a master's degree at the University of New Orleans. Shortly after moving to the "Cradle of Jazz" he embraced the early piano traditions of the city as well as those of the northeast where he grew up. A keen interest in the music of Jelly Roll Morton, James P. Johnson, and Teddy Wilson; combined with his bebop roots allowed Tokarski to develop an all encompassing voice of his own, deeply rooted in the jazz piano tradition. 

Currently, Tokarski is thriving as an in demand jazz pianist performing throughout the city, country, and abroad. He has performed at notable jazz festivals and venues including the Umbria Winter Jazz Festival, The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the French Quarter Fest, Snug Harbor, The Jazz Corner, and The Green Mill. Kris has had the pleasure of sharing the bandstand with Evan Christopher, Hal Smith, Duke Heitger, Tim Laughlin, Andy Schumm, and many others.