Bobby Lyle

Bobby Lyle is a pianist from Minneapolis who started playing early. He came up listening to Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, and Stevie Wonder, which shows in how he handles both jazz and R&B. His first album, 'The Journey,' came out in 1982, followed by 'Night Breeze' the next year.

People know him for 'Poinciana,' a tune he wrote that gets covered a lot. He's put out records steadily since the eighties, like 'The Phoenix' in 1985 and 'Secret Island' in 1987, through to 'Joyful Noise' in 2011. He's worked with singers and players including Randy Crawford, Chuck Loeb, and Jeff Lorber.

In the late eighties he had some health trouble that kept him off the scene for a while, but he came back to recording and playing. His music doesn't shout; it's more about melody and a certain warmth in the keys.