JOSE-MIGUEL YAMAL

ABOUT JOSE-MIGUEL YAMAL

Dr. José-Miguel Yamal is a Chilean-American jazz pianist with a repertoire as deep and eclectic as his love of all music rhythmic and soulful. José-Miguel was studying classical guitar at the nationally acclaimed High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, Texas when he realized his true voice was best spoken through the piano, specifically in the jazz genre. After changing instruments and experimenting with jazz as a form of self-expression, José-Miguel quickly nurtured and grew his talent as a pianist. Influenced by the diversity in Houston, Texas, his musical voice draws from many genres including straight-ahead jazz, jazz latino (with a focus on Afro-Cuban and Brazilian), Neo soul, funk, and more. The synergy of a cultural palette of sounds now define his compositions and can be heard on his CD “Evoluciónes: Points of Convergence”. 

José-Miguel has performed with many jazz greats including Tom Harrell, Bob Mintzer, Carlos Garnett, and Hubert Laws, and from the Ellington orchestra trombonist Buster Cooper, trumpet player Barrie Lee Hall, Jr., bassist John Lamb, and saxophonist Shelley Carroll. He has also collaborated with salsa singers Ruben Blades, Ismael Miranda, salsa/latin jazz trombonist Jimmy Bosch and pianist Larry Harlow to name a few. José-Miguel has performed in the internationally acclaimed 2001 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland as well as several Texas jazz and salsa music festivals. José-Miguel’s passion for music is complemented by his love of mathematics and science; he has a Ph.D. from Rice University in statistics and is and working as a researcher and associate professor at the world renowned University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston, Texas. He is currently working on a stroke clinical trial and using machine learning for prognosis after severe traumatic brain injury and semi-automated detection of cancer.