I am an accomplished professional pianist now based out of Eastern Iowa. My specialty is cocktail piano but I've been in regionally successful jazz, country, gospel, and variety combos as both pianist and backup singer. If I know a song I can play it in any key. Some clients fly me out of state to even play horse shows and church programs. I also do light classical. I tune in quickly to my crowd, and look for clues to see if they need more soulful, flowing tunes, or zesty melodies or just a good all around mix. I play songs from the 40's on forward and for special events have no problems learning certain pieces upon request. References provided upon request.
Your event pianist,
Larry was a wonderful addition to our holiday party. He knew every holiday song and our guests enjoyed joining in singing along to holiday carols. He was friendly and engaged well with guests, all communication and planning was clear and he was a joy to work with.
Larry was great! He was easy to work with and played exactly what I wanted for our wedding. He even learned a song I wanted to be played for me to come down the aisle with. I can’t wait to see our video to take it all in again. I highly recommend Larry for your event.
He was great! I highly recommend Larry. He came early to set up and to check into my needs. He even learned a song for me to come down the aisle as I requested. We also had him play music during our dinner and was amazing!
Larry played very well. We were very happy with his performance. Highly recommend
I hired Larry to play the piano during my son's rehearsal dinner this past weekend. We received many positive comments from our guests about how much they enjoyed his music.
Larry was very professional, very easy to work with , and very talented! He was willing to accommodate all of my requests. I will definitely hire him again for my future events.
Response from Larry Jensen, Professional Pianist:
Some people know how to take care of hired musical talent...people such as Julia Weber!
Julia was easy to work with the whole time; she made sure I knew what was expected, and what I could expect. She placed her trust in me to take of the music so she'd have one less thing to think about, and it worked out great.
I would love to provide a musical background for any party or event in which she's involved!
Working with Larry for our wedding was great! He was easy to communicate with, friendly, and went above and beyond to coordinate with our other musician for duet pieces.
Response from Larry Jensen, Professional Pianist:
Thanks, Laura! One of the greatest things a musician can receive is trust, and you definitely extended that to both of us musicians throughout the process. It required my trust in your other musician, as well, who turned out to be lovely, skilled and alert, so working with her was easy. You chose well. The highlight for me was getting to show my wife the pictures I took of such a jubilant and beautiful bride (and groom) exiting the venue.
Excellent. Professional, variety of music, enthusiastic not to mention a delightful person.
Response from Larry Jensen, Professional Pianist:
The Dubuque Golf and Country Club was a delightful, genial atmosphere, with friendly staff that made everyone feel welcome and tended to. Patty made an excellent hostess and ensured that the party was top-notch. Definitely hope to do this again!
If your looking for someone to play piano for your event, Larry is a great choice!
Larry entertained our residents/tenants this morning for an hour. It was so rewarding seeing them tapping their toes.. moving in their chairs.. singing along, naming the songs, and requesting some of their favorites too. They are still talking about it hours later and have told me to please invite him back! I highly recommend Larry for your piano entertainment needs.
Response from Larry Jensen, Professional Pianist:
Thanks for the wonderful and gracious report. I'll be posting that on my website. Not everyone takes the time to deliver such well worded kudos! Take care and thanks again. Larry
Would highly recommend him
Response from Larry Jensen, Professional Pianist:
Thanks so much, Carol. It was a true pleasure to play for you and your group there!
Larry plays at our senior living community every month. He is great to have and a resident favorite! He is great with communication and is always willing to meet our time needs!
Five stars for Larry and his wonderful performance for our residents at Bickford of Iowa City! Larry is an excellent piano player and performer! He was great with the residents, and kept us all entertained throughout the performance. He was fun, funny, and professional. Larry was able to play a variety of music, all from memory! We will be sure to book him again! I would highly recommend Larry for your piano musical needs!
Larry did a wonderful job at our corporate holiday party. He adjusted to our schedule as well as helping lead a name that tune game that we came up with. Highly recommend.
Response from Larry Jensen, Professional Pianist:
Leasa and company were great to work with, making sure I had all the details I needed to do my part. It was the quintessential fun company party, the kind where you could tell the employees were truly glad to be together. :) . I was afforded the best treatment possible.
Larry was great to work with! I would highly recommend him for your next event!
Larry was great to work with! He offered to send us music samples and meet us in person at an event he was playing at so we could hear him play. He was on-time and willing to learn new music.
Also, I was a little behind in planning and he was very flexible and understanding with our last minute decisions! Overall, very professional and easy to work with and with a quick response rate.
Response from Larry Jensen, Professional Pianist:
Stephanie, thanks for the comments. You were in the unenviable position of playing intermediary and handling the surprises as they were bound to come up, but you did it without ruffling feathers or making anyone feel unappreciated. Teamwork works, and you were a great part of the team. Thanks again.
I was impressed how many songs Larry has memorized. As background music, the many different songs played were seamless and flowed very well together and brought some to get up and dance. I found Larry to be very professional and a pleasure to deal with as a business partner. Every member at the party enjoyed his piano music.
Response from Larry Jensen, Professional Pianist:
Thanks for the kudos. As gracious and helpful hosts, you made it easy for me by making sure I had a good spot and by simply trusting that I was going to make it a fun experience for all!
Price Range: Contact for rates
Gig Length: 60 - 240 minutes
Languages: English, Spanish, Fairly Proficient In S.E.E. (sign)
My mission is to make the event planner and/or host have one HUGE worry off their minds. I come prepared, on time, professional looking and sounding, and do everything possible to accommodate special needs of the day. If I'm on a piano that's out of tune, I don't throw a fit and walk away. If I don't know a request, I don't get snarky, but I find a suitable alternative, if one exists, and that makes a lot of folks happy, because I'm doing what I can to please THEM. I consider everything from the room's acoustics, to the placement and angle of the piano or keyboard, from the skirting (if applicable), to making sure if I need a pitcher of tea or water, I arrange that ahead of time so I don't need to bother anyone else. You won't see a sheaf of loose papers or a stack of music books, because I work from a memorized repertoire of well over 1000 songs. If I am asked to do a special request ahead of time, I'll find out quickly if it's something in my wheelhouse or not, and if it is, I'll be ready when it's time to play. I'm not satisfied until the last smiles have left the room because it's empty.
Born and raised in Wichita, Kansas, I took a few lessons then taught myself how to read and play. I have a vast memorized repertoire covering a wide variety of genre. As I also play by ear, I can play anything I know in most any key. I've had success with accompanying live theatre, playing in duos, combos and big bands. As well, I've played and sung in country, rock and jazz bands, as well as Christian contemporary and Southern Gospel groups. Besides cocktail piano, one of my favorite gigs is the horse show, where I play mood music for the horses and have to keep up with the changing gaits of each class. I've played for scores of company parties and private events, and in my country band activities, I've had the privilege of opening up for Keith Urban, Aaron Tippin, Andy Griggs, John Michael Montgomery, Little Texas, The Bellamy Brothers, Neal McCoy, Gene Watson, and several others.
I love people, and I love to see how my music affects them. I believe it's important to play to the crowd, to play with passion, but to play with finesse as well. Having a deep well from which to draw, and having an INFJ personality type (for those of you who know what that means), I can really hone in on what a crowd wants and make it happen. Playing a live karaoke setting is fun for me and vocalists appreciate getting to pick the key they want.
My work ethic means I MUST deliver a good presentation, of both myself and my set up (when applicable), I'm at LEAST on time, and I SOLVE problems for my client, instead of creating them. I want my music to be one of the things they keep talking about long after the event is over.
Happily situated now in the Iowa City area, I'm easily accessible to airports and wherever I'm called to serve.
I have professional keyboard, amplification, skirting, and everything it takes to provide a great musical experience, whether a venue has a piano or not.
If I have to bring my gear, I need 2 outlets, in a practical location. My other needs are few, except I do want to be able to face the crowd, at least at an angle, if not straight on. I find that many people want to be able to see the hands on the piano.
Refer to website
A multitude of performers, including Elton John, Ferrante & Teicher, Harry Connick, Jr., John Legend, Dino Kartsonakis and many others.
Waukesha, WI 
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