Pianist, composer, author, and educator Charlie Austin has influenced an entire generation of western Canadian jazz musicians. Now retired, the former head of the Piano Department at Grant MacEwan University taught keyboards, jazz theory, ear training, ensembles and improvisation for nearly thirty years, inspiring many students who have gone on to become leaders on the scene today. He continues to encourage aspiring musicians during his frequent appearances at local jam sessions. A published author, Austin has released 450 Contemporary Piano Studies in 15 Keys, followed by An Approach to Jazz Piano, which has been used for classroom instruction, and is now available in a revised fifth edition. As an artist, Austin has recently released solo piano albums, It Could Happen To You and If I Should Lose You, featuring beautiful interpretations of jazz standards, with tunes by Henry Mancini, Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Antonio Carlos Jobim and more, as well as his own “Song for Bill Evans.