Scotty Bemis is an award-winning jazz pianist based in Seattle. He won the Lionel Hampton Piano Solo Competition and outstanding piano solo awards at the Essentially Ellington Jazz Competition at Lincoln Center in New York City and other jazz festivals. He was a member of the Roosevelt Jazz Band, which won first place at the Essentially Ellington, Lionel Hampton, and Reno Jazz festivals. While at Roosevelt, he was also in the Bellevue Community College Jazz Band which toured China, the Czech Republic, and Peru. With the Roosevelt Jazz Band, he toured the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland.
Scotty plays solo piano, leads The Scotty Bemis Trio, and performs as a member of various groups at well-known Seattle venues such as Canlis, Vito’s, North City Bistro, Egan’s Ballard Jam House, and Osteria La Spiga. He also plays for private parties and weddings. Scotty’s jazz influences include the gospel blues of Gene Harris, the bebop lines of Oscar Peterson, the swing march of Erroll Garner, the stride piano of Fats Waller, and the block chords of George Shearing. He also plays pop, rock, funk, Latin, and other genres.