A longtime fixture in Seattle, pianist Walt Wagner is a sophisticated jazz performer known for applying his urbane technique to both classic standards and contemporary pop and rock songs. Raised in the Pacific Northwest, Wagner began playing piano around age six, and was introduced to jazz via his father, who led a local dance band. During the '50s he made his professional debut as a member of the rock & roll outfit the Exotics. In the '70s, he found work on cruise ships opening for a bevy of comic legends like George Burns and Bob Hope, before eventually settling full-time in Seattle. Beginning in 1996, he drew crowds as the house pianist at Seattle's Canlis Restaurant. Initially focused on jazz standards, over the next two decades he began incorporating more modern rock and pop covers done in his own urbane jazz style. During this period, he released several albums starting with the 1998 classical effort Walt Wagner: The Miracle; Rhythms. A handful of covers albums followed, including 2004's Pearls, Vol. 1, and 2007's In the Pink: Music of Pink Floyd. In 2017, Sub Pop Records released Reworks, a recording of Wagner's final performance at Canlis Restaurant. Included are covers of songs by DJ Shadow, Band of Horses, Prince, and others. ~ Matt Collar