Mackenzie Grout
Mackenzie Grout is a jazz pianist and keyboardist from Seattle, USA. He spends his time traveling and performing all around the world, working as a soloist or performing with other musicians and running bands. With influences such as Harry Connick Jr. and Brad Mehldau, Mack’s sound is a mix of introspective piano parts occasionally combined with smooth, clear vocals.
Mackenzie Grout was born in Seattle, Washington. He grew up living in the Pacific Northwest, and began taking private instruction on the piano at age four. He played classical piano until he was fourteen, and then he started focusing more on jazz and modern music studies with Belfair based pianist Larry Key as a mentor.
Through high school Mack performed as much as possible. He was involved in all the music groups that were offered at his high school, playing piano in jazz choirs and trumpet in orchestra and jazz band. Through out these years, Mack won seventeen outstanding soloist awards at jazz festivals in Washington, Oregon and California.
This whole time he was also leading his own trio, playing around town at public events such as the national Relay for Life charity events and at festivals such as the Sequim Lilac festival and the Kitsap County Fair. His senior year in high school Mack won the ‘Outstanding Instrumentalist’ award at the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival. That year he also won the international Louis Armstrong Award, as well as scholarships to Berklee College of Music, and Cornish College of Music for musical ability as well as academic achievement. From 2004 – 08 Mack attended the renowned academy, Cornish College of the Arts.
While at Cornish, Mack got to study under the tutelage of professional working musicians such as Chuck
Deardorf, Denney Goodhew and Jim Knapp as well as work professionally in the Pacific Northwest.
Mack majored in piano performance, with an emphasis in composition in college, and studied voice with Kelly Harland (Origin Records) and Beth Winter.
In the spring of 2008 Mack graduated Magna Cum Laude from Cornish College of the Arts and since has been touring and traveling around the world with different bands and as a solo artist. For a year and a half from 2012-2013 Mack ran the band at the most famous club in Beijing China, Atmosphere – which featured performances by his band every night! After a short stint back to the United States, Mack returned to Asia to run the band at the famous jazz club the Captains Bar in Hong Kong until 2015. Currently he is in the United States touring and playing with many different acts and running his music school, Seattle Jazz Academy.
