Justin Chart

Chart was born in Los Angeles, California, to Lee and Betty Chart.[4] His father was a professional boxer who loved jazz.[4] His mother was a professional opera singer who performed in New York, Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, and California.[4] Chart credits his parents with inspiring his music career.[4] Chart started playing piano at the age of 5 and by the age of 11 had learned to play the clarinet as well as alto and baritone saxophone.[4]

Chart in 1979

Chart recalls: "Listening to my Mom sing opera around the house and sitting down with my Dad to listen to his jazz records" while growing up.[5] Chart's musical idols included Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt, Bill Evans, Art Tatum and Cannonball Adderley.[5] As a teenager, he was chosen to record an album with two orchestras as soloist. After high school, Chart studied music at the School of the Performing Arts in London, England.[4]

Chart is best-known for improvising free-form jazz pieces.[2] Recently, Chart released Colorstorm (2020), followed by Colorstorm IV (2021) and Colorstorm VI (2021). Colorstorm was recorded live, in one session in Los Angeles. The album, which consists of group improvisational pieces, was recorded in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Every performance on was the only version of that particular work, and no editing or overdubbing was done to change the group's improvisational offering.

"Los Angeles the Song"

In 2012, Chart wrote, sang and produced "Los Angeles the Song," dedicated to the city of his birth. He created twelve different versions of the track, accompanied by music videos: "Los Angeles La Cancion," "Los Angeles Dance Angeles," "Los Angeles Latin," "Los Angeles Word," "Los Angeles Voice of the World" and "Los Angeles a City Alive."

In "Los Angeles Voice of the World," Chart performs together with 40 singers and three rappers from all 25 of Los Angeles' sister cities. The cast sang in 28 different languages spoken by people on six different continents, as a gesture to L.A.'s multicultural flavor.[4] The videos of the song feature scenes from L.A. including the Venice boardwalk, the downtown, and ethnic neighborhoods.[6] "Los Angeles Dance Angeles" has a Latin beat and features Chart's daughter Tali on keyboards.[6] "Los Angeles Word" features black-and-white Wild West photos of orange groves, dusty roads and horse-drawn carriages in the early years of L.A., as well as modern automobiles.

The various versions of "Los Angeles the Song" have garnered more than 11 million views on YouTube and attracted notice from public officials.[7][3] Chart was awarded the Artisan Appreciation Award in July 2014 by L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, who praised his ability to capture "through song for people to enjoy and understand this passion for the city we all call home."[4]

Justin Chart Band

Chart has received the following awards and recognition:[4]

• Certificate of Recognition of Service to the City of Los Angeles in June 2014 from Council President Herb Wesson Jr.
• Proclamation and Angel Award from the City of Los Angeles in June 2014 from Councilman Tom La Bonge
• Artisan Appreciate Award in July 2014 from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti
• Proclamation of Service to The Latin Community of Los Angeles in February 2015 from Councilman Jose Huizar
• Award of Commitment and Inspiration to the City of Los Angeles in March 2015 from First Council Member Gil Cedillo
• Statement of Accomplishment in February 2016 from United States Senator Dianne Feinstein

In May 2017, the Los Angeles city council adopted Chart's composition of "Los Angeles the Song" as an official part of Los Angeles' history.[4]

Chart lives in Los Angeles and has a daughter, Tali.[6] Chart also partnered with Cal Fund to raise funds for the California wildfires,[7] and served as Musical Ambassador for Wildlife Warriors Worldwide and the Australia Zoo Foundation.[7]

• Official website
• Justin Chart Jazz