Polo Ortí

Pianist and composer Polo Ortí studied at conservatoires in the Canary Islands, Madrid and Valencia before graduating from Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied with Lyle Mays of the Pat Metheny Group. He taught at the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Conservatoire for seven years and has also taught at Escuela Creativa in Madrid, Taller de Músics in Barcelona and Berklee’s Valencia campus, where he has taught for the past 11 years.

In 1990, Gary Burton recorded three of Ortí’s compositions for his album Reunion (GRP, 1990), which reached the top of the Billboard jazz chart. Ortí’s discography includes Improvisaciones (1993), Polo (1997), Polo Ortí Group Live (1999), Para timple y piano (2003) and Suite de la Amistad (2007), among other albums.

Ortí’s notable collaborations include the 2009 Estrejazz tour with Gary Burton, Antonio Sánchez, Scott Colley and Julian Lage. In 2011, he released ‘Boiling Earth’ with the Polo Ortí Group. Since settling in Tenerife, he has performed extensively with his regular trio and saxophonist Jorge Pardo. He also formed WOK with Hungarian bassist Samuel Kèri and English drummer Joshua Wheatley, appearing at events including the Muna Jazz Festival and performances in Fuerteventura.

In July 2024, he took part in Fimucité, performing the piano part from the La La Land soundtrack with the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra under the baton of the film’s composer, Justin Hurwitz. He also performed on three islands to close that year’s Canary Islands Jazz Festival. Later that autumn, he appeared with his trio at Las Noches del Monumental in Madrid, in a concert broadcast on TVE’s La 2.

Polo Ortí currently runs COMPOSINGYOURMUSIC, his online composition academy, offering seminars and individual lessons in composition while developing new musical projects.