A native of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, Jess Jurkovic is a New York City jazz pianist and composer. He has written over 100 pieces and arranged dozens of standards and not-so-standards for his groups. He has worked in and composed for pop, rock, and funk genres as well.

Jess attended the University of Minnesota, receiving his Bachelor of Music degree, and Manhattan School of Music, where he received his Master’s degree in Jazz and Commercial Music.

Jess serves as musical director (MD) to the American Tap Dance Foundation and Tap Dance Central, and has been MD for several New York cabaret artists. He was on the piano faculty at Larchmont Music Academy for 15 years. He has also worked with Cherry Lane Music Co. as a freelance writer and editor; his book Keyboard Warm-up Techniques was published in 2006.

In addition to his own recordings, Jess is an original and integral member of the Pedro Giraudo Jazz Orchestra (represented on five albums), and The Leonisa Ardizzone Quartet (two albums), serving also as her musical director and arranger / collaborator.

Jess is available to help you realize your musical needs:

Solo piano

Duo, trio, or small ensembles

Large ensembles and big bands

Private parties and public events

Wedding receptions and bar/bat mitzvahs

Cocktail and dinner hours

Accompaniment for singers and dancers

Jess has performed in NYC venues such as Blue Note, Birdland, Jazz Standard, Jazz Gallery, Zinc Bar, Barbès, Iridium, Kitano, Rockwood Music Hall, Rose’s Turn, Terraza 7, Symphony Space, and Joe’s Pub.

Composed over 100 jazz instrumental tunes

Arranged jazz originals and standards for small group performance

Arranged 30-plus Holiday songs for jazz performance

Available for commissions

Jess’s compositions are on display on his self-released albums The Art Department (with percussionist / composer Greg Beyer), Blue and Violet (with bassist Pedro Giraudo, and Two Hands, Volume 1.

Jess’s arranging prowess is represented on The Leonisa Ardizzone Quartet’s all in good time, and vocalist Alison Lund’s Except Sometimes.

Recent commissions include, in 2022, a three-minute piano piece, and in 2023, a four-movement, 16+ minute piano work (including one movement for jazz improvisation). Recordings are planned for release.

Scroll down for info about Jess’s Discography.

Jess serves as musical director for The Leonisa Ardizzone Quartet.

He has served as a musical director for The American Tap Dance Foundation since 2006. Besides accompanying this renowned performance, education, and preservation organization, he is in charge of transcribing, notating, and arranging the music for the band supporting their dynamic performances, including for their 25th Anniversary concerts at the Joyce Theater in 2026.

Recently, the ATDF’s educational arm became Tap Dance Central, and Jess is also MD for their performances.

In 2017, Jess created The Dudley Simpson IS Doctor Who Project, where he transcribed, by ear, portions of composer Simpson’s (1922-2017) soundtracks to the long-running cult British sci-fi TV show.

Simpson’s nearly 300 episodes’ worth of work represent a wealth of unreleased music that largely does not exist separately from the finished program.

Jess’s solo piano arrangements debuted on his YouTube channel starting in 2019—over fifty piano pieces, complete with scores and analyses of their musical makeup. Links to YouTube playlists are found below.

His efforts have earned plaudits from actual production members of the show, past and present, and he was interviewed in Doctor Who Magazine Issue 574, February 2022.

In February 2023, Jess wrote and performed a 45-minute presentation on Simpson’s “Doctor Theme.” This was debuted at the famous Gallifrey One convention in Los Angeles. He repeated this performance at the L.I. Who (Long Island, NY) convention in August 2024.

A new season of Doctor Who music documentaries debuted on his YouTube channel in 2024. The playlist is also linked below.

Jess wrote the liner notes for two of his first three CD releases, Blue and Violet, and Two Hands, Volume 1.

His work on transcribing Doctor Who music has also provided opportunities to write. Besides scripting every one of his videos, Jess has written for Vworp Vworp!, the renowned Who fanzine. Issue Six (November 2023) celebrated the program’s 60th anniversary, and Jess contributed a two-page article about composer Norman Kay’s music for the very first story in 1963.

He also contributed an essay about Dudley Simpson’s work on Doctor Who for a volume entitled The DNA of Doctor Who: The Graham Williams Years, published in 2026.

Jess’s study of Doctor Who music has made him an in-demand podcast guest, whether discussing The Project, or the series—past and present.

Jess has appeared on several popular podcasts, such as The Metebelis 2, Radio Free Skaro, Toby Hadoke’s Happy Times and Places, Something Who, Gallifrey Public Radio, The Power of 3, and The Missing Episodes Podcast.