Born in 1997 in Columbus, Ohio, Thomas grew up in a multicultural family with a pastor father from Chennai, India, and an American mother who taught English as a second language. At age two, he started playing piano, picking out songs by ear. By the time he was eight years old, he was taking private jazz lessons and drawing inspiration from players like John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Thelonious Monk. During his sophomore year of high school, Thomas started playing gigs, touring alongside violinist Christian Howes. He also gained valuable insight from pianist Sullivan Fortner, who became a mentor after the two met at a summer jazz workshop. After high school, he further honed his skills attending the Juilliard School. There, he studied under pianist Frank Kimbrough, and in 2015 he received the school's Jerome L. Greene Fellowship.
Thomas continued to play live, leading his own trio and holding down a weekly solo piano gig at the Kitano Hotel. He also joined the faculty of the annual Creative Strings Workshop in his hometown of Columbus. Recordings followed, including sessions with Harish Raghavan and Walter Smith III. In 2020, Thomas graduated with his Master of Music degree. That same year, he released his debut solo album, Tide, featuring his trio with bassist Dean Torrey and drummer Kyle Benford. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi
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Tornado |
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Tide |
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Across My Path |