GRAMMY-nominated pianist, arranger and composer recently named by Wynton Marsalis as one of 5 jazz musicians under 30 to watch. He has appeared with Wynton Marsalis, Jon Hendricks, Jimmy Heath, Donald Byrd, George Coleman, Billy Hart, Jamey Aebersold, Wycliffe Gordon, Fred Wesley, Steve Wilson, Steve Nelson, Billy Kilson, Bucky Pizzarelli, and Russell Malone. Chris can be heard on Jamison, the GRAMMY-nominated debut of vocalist and drummer Jamison Ross.
Pattishall has toured internationally as a leader and sideman, presenting original music as well as inventive readings of a broad range of jazz repertoire. Recent projects include Fictions, a set of musical miniatures inspired the short stories of Jorge Luis Borges and scored for a tango-infused chamber ensemble. In December 2015 Pattishall was the Music Director for “Divas of the Silver Screen,” a tribute to Ethel Waters, Lena Horne and Rosemary Clooney as part of the 2015-16 Jazz at Lincoln Center season. Recent programs have presented distinctive interpretations of the music of Nat “King” Cole, Fletcher Henderson, and Mary Lou Williams, as well as pairing works by Igor Stravinsky and Maurice Ravel with those of Duke Ellington and George Gerswhin.
Active as both a pianist and composer, Chris holds an ASCAP Young Jazz Composer’s Award, and participated in the Kennedy Center's Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program and the Ravinia Festival Stean’s Young Artist Program.
Pattishall is an engaged music educator, teaching privately and at William Paterson University. Chris also conducts masterclasses with high school jazz ensembles throughout the United States, and he regularly presents masterclasses on jazz and its socio-historical context in the New York City public school system.
Pattishall currently resides in New York City, where he performs at many of the city's renowned jazz clubs including Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, Small's, Iridium, Smoke, the Kitano and The Blue Note. He holds a B.A. in Jazz Studies (Magna Cum Laude) from Florida State University and a M.M. in Jazz Performance from William Paterson University and has studied with Harold Mabern, Mulgrew Miller, Marcus Roberts and Gary Kirkpatrick.