Ed Bazel

Last updated
Ed Bazel
Born
Huntington, West Virginia, U.S.
Occupations
  • Composer
  • Musician
Years active1982–present
Awards Hollywood Independent Music Award
Musical career
Genres
  • Instrumental
  • Contemporary Instrumental
  • New-Age
Instruments
  • Piano
  • keyboards
Website edbazel.com

Ed Bazel is an American pianist and composer. He won a Hollywood Independent Music Award in 2023 and was nominated for a Josie Music Award for Musician of the Year in 2025. He founded the River of Calm Headphones and led a fundraising drive that has provided patients with wireless, rechargeable headphones that stream tranquil music while undergoing chemotherapy at all seven Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center locations. [1] [2] [3] In 2025, he was awarded a COVR Visionary Gold Award. [4]

Contents

Early life and education

Ed Bazel was born in Huntington, West Virginia to parents Edward and Irene Bazel. [5] He began taking piano lessons at five years old and later studied under Lou Levy, Joe Harnell, and Clare Fischer. [6] He earned a Business Degree from Marshall University and a Computer Programming Degree from the University of Kentucky. [7]

Career

Bazel has released six studio albums; Bella Piano (2013), Homecoming (2021), The London Sessions: Reflections From Studio 2 (2022), The London Sessions: New Perspectives from Studio 2 (2024), The Christmas Sessions: Season's Greeting in Studio 2 (2024), and A Weekend in Marin (2025), which have received favorable reviews. [8] [9] [10] In 2023, The London Sessions: Reflections From Studio 2 charted at #6 on the New Age chart. [11]

Bazel began composing music in the early 1980s and in 1984 co-wrote "Cat Rap" for the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team which received a fair amount of airplay. [12] He performed solo piano shows throughout the 1980s and 1990s at venues including the Beverly Hills Country Club and the Ritz-Carlton in Los Angeles. [13] [14] In 1991, he performed in Beijing, as a band member of Pegasus. [15]

Bazel became a producer of corporate events for companies providing concert artists, comedians, and speakers in over 25 countries. In 2001, he was elected President of the Nashville Association of Talent Directors. [16] In 2014, he was nominated for an International Entertainment Buyers Association Award for Corporate Talent Buyer of the Year. [17]

In 2023, he won a Hollywood Independent Music Award for Soaring for Best Instrumental Song. [18] Other awards include Global Music Awards and Intercontinental Music Awards. In 2025 he was nominated for a Hollywood Independent Music Award for "Daybreak" for Best Instrumental Song as well as being nominated for a Josie Music Award for Musician of the Year.

In 2015, Bazel founded The River of Calm - Music To Soothe Your Soul online radio network which streams music. [19] [20] He later launched the River of Calm Headphones and led a fundraising drive that has provided patients with wireless, rechargeable headphones that stream tranquil music while undergoing chemotherapy at all seven Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center locations. [1] [3] He has also volunteered as a pianist for patients in the waiting room at Henry-Joyce Cancer Clinic at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. [2] Bazel is an artistic collaborator with the SENSE Theatre intervention research program, composing music for the program which focuses on enhancing social competence in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. [21] In 2025, he was awarded a COVR Visionary Gold Award. [4]

Discography

Source: [22]

Awards

YearNominated workCategoryAwardResult
2025DaybreakBest Instrumental Song [23] Hollywood Independent Music Award Nominated
2025Musician of the Year (Piano/Keys) [24] Josie Music Award Nominated
2025The River of Calm, Headphones For ChemotherapyGold Award for Visionary Product [4] COVR Visionary AwardsWon
2025A Beautiful LifeBest Instrumental [25] Global Music AwardWon
2025Beautiful TonightBest New Age [25] Global Music AwardWon
2024Beautiful LifeBest of America - Contemporary Instrumental [26] Intercontinental Music AwardWon
2023SoaringBest of America - Contemporary Instrumental [27] Intercontinental Music AwardWon
2023SoaringBest Instrumental Song [18] [28] Hollywood Independent Music Award Won
2014Corporate Talent Buyer of the Year [17] International Entertainment Buyers Association AwardNominated

References

  1. 1 2 "Donation of Music Headphones to Patients by The River of Calm". New Age Music Guide. March 24, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Soothing Sounds". VUMC News. March 16, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Ed Bazel founded River of Calm to provide headphones and live music to Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center". WSMV 4. April 7, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 "2025 COVR Visionary Awards Gold Winners" (PDF). COVR. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Huntington born pianist releases third album by Maggie Susa". Herald dispatch. October 5, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Ed Bazel (Contemporary pianist)". Herald dispatch. October 22, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Meed Ed Bazel". Bold Journey. May 14, 2024. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  8. ↑ "The Long and Winding Road From Huntington WV to Abbey Road Studio". Elephant Journal. October 7, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Contemporary Instrumental Review: Ed Bazel-The London Sessions – Reflections From Studio 2". New Age Music Reviews. October 7, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  10. ↑ "A Timeless Christmas Album Recorded at Abbey Road's Studio 2: Ed Bazel's Soulful Piano Takes on Classic Carols by Jessica Fox". Contemporary Fusion Reviews. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  11. ↑ "New Age Music Chart (NAMC) April 2023". New Age Music Guide. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  12. ↑ "True Blue fans write Cat Rap by Tom Carter" Lexington Herald-Leader, Page 44, March 30, 1984
  13. ↑ "Weekender Guide", Lexington Herald-Leader, Page 46, April 4, 1986
  14. ↑ "Entertainment", The Argonaut, Page 36, July 7, 1988
  15. ↑ "LA Band Takes a Slow Beat to China", LA Times, Page 77, October 10, 1991
  16. ↑ "Sunday Business: People", The Tennessean, Page 115, June 17, 2001
  17. 1 2 "In Charge page 16" (PDF). Music Row. April 5, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
  18. 1 2 "HIMA 2023 winners". HIMA. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Radio South Africa". Radio South Africa. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Radio UK". Radio UK. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  21. ↑ "Artistic Collaborators". Sense Theatre. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Ed Bazel Discography". Apple Music. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  23. ↑ "2025 HMMA nomination table". HMMA. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  24. ↑ "2025 official nominees". Josie Music Awards. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  25. 1 2 "Global Music Awards 2025". Global Music Awards. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  26. ↑ "InterContinental Music Awards 2024 Winners". ICA. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  27. ↑ "InterContinental Music Awards 2023 Winners". ICA. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  28. ↑ "Pearl River Names Ed Bazel Kayserburg Worldwide Brand Ambassador". Kayserburg USA. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.