Travis Shook's career got off to a fast start although it has stalled somewhat since then. He started on piano at seven, spent some time playing heavy metal guitar, and then came back to the piano. While at William Paterson College in New Jersey, he had the chance to play with such musicians as Benny Golson and Branford Marsalis. Shook won several contests (most notably the 1991 Great American Jazz Piano Competition at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival) and, in 1993, he made his recording debut on his self-titled Columbia CD in a quartet that included Tony Williams and Bunky Green. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi