Harold O'Neal was born in Arusha, Tanzania, and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. His great-grandfather, Ollie Harold Pennington, was a jazz pianist and composer for silent film in Kansas City, where his grandmother walked to school with Charlie Parker. O'Neal began playing the piano by ear at age four on his father's miniature keyboard. He found his earliest inspirations in the music of Tom and Jerry, Looney Tunes, and Disney.
Growing up, he spent a considerable amount of time with his grandmother exploring various creative outlets, before eventually becoming a pianist. Having spent much of his youth living in the projects (Public Housing) and surviving near-death experiences, he credits music with saving his life.
O'Neal attended the Paseo Academy Of Fine And Performing Arts, with classmates Logan Richardson, Lil' Ronnie, and Brian Kennedy, where he studied jazz piano and composition under the mentorship of Ahmad Alaadeen. He studied classical piano and composition with Margie Cameron-Jarrett, whose musical lineage can be traced back to Franz Liszt.
Early career
O'Neal began his career in music at a young age, touring with at the age of 19 after studying composition at Berklee College of Music. He then went on to attend the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Kenny Barron. It was there where he met the renowned American jazz pianist and composer, Andrew Hill, with whom he soon became the apprentice of. and became his apprentice. Hill was himself an apprentice of the composer Paul Hindemith.
Following Hill's advice, O'Neal left the Manhattan School of Music to replace pianist Jason Moran in the influential band, the Greg Osby 4. This opportunity led to his major-label debut recording for Blue Note Records[9] at the age of 21. In 2004, O'Neal premiered a jazz quartet featuring Greg Osby, Jeff "Tain" Watts, and Matt Brewer.
Later career
In the following years, O'Neal released a number of critically acclaimed albums including Charlie's Suite (2006), which was a compilation of his family's legacy, Whirling Mantis (2010) with a jazz quartet, and a solo piano album Marvelous Fantasy (2011) on Smalls Records. He then partnered with Ski Beats and Damon Dash, after being signed to Universal Music Group as a songwriter and producer, to release the albums 24 Hour Karate School 2 (2011), Twilight (2012), and Cam'Ron And Vado's Blu Tops (2012).
In May 2018, O'Neal released his solo piano album Piano Cinema, with "Sam and Sam" serving as the lead single. Following the album release, O'Neal completed a spring tour across the U.S. with The Blk Shp, with Pixar as a partner.
Recently, on the recommendation of Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull, O'Neal played a role as a creative expert in the development of Pixar's Soul, working closely with filmmakers Pete Docter, Dana Murray, and Kemp Powers.
Music direction and production
In addition to his work as a renowned composer, pianist, and performer, Harold O'Neal has also established himself as a highly respected music director and producer in the entertainment industry. He has demonstrated his expertise in creating and managing music for high-profile events, including Electric Burma with U2, The CNN Heroes All Star Tribute with Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa, and The Albie Awards.
The Albie Awards, named in honor of anti-apartheid activist Justice Albie Sachs, was an inaugural awards ceremony organized by The Clooney Foundation, hosted by John Oliver and featuring Aloe Blacc. The event serves to recognize and celebrate courageous defenders of justice, and has featured notable presenters such as Michelle Obama, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Dua Lipa, Nadia Murad, and Oscar Isaac. O'Neal's contributions as a music director and producer for this event further reinforced his reputation as a skilled and accomplished musician.
Social impact and future ventures
As a keynote speaker and social entrepreneur, O'Neal has been featured at Google, The World Economic Forum, TEDX, TIME, C2 Montréal, NASAJet Propulsion Laboratory, and other leading platforms. Currently, he has a multitude of projects in development, including producing his next jazz album (2023), producing and scoring an untitled feature length film with an Academy Award winning director (2024), and founding a global social entrepreneurship initiative with Paul Propster, Chief Strategist and Story Architect of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
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