Charlie Banacos (August 11, 1946 – December 8, 2009) was an American pianist, composer, author and educator, concentrating on jazz.
Banacos created over 100 courses of study for improvisation and composition. His concepts of teaching and his courses influenced educators since the late 1950s. He was the original author of courses named "Hexatonics", "Intervallics", "Tetratonics", "Superimpositions", "Harps", "Overlaps", "Bitonal Pendulums", "Double Mambos", "Twenty-third Chords", "Tonal Paralypsis", and "Triad Pairs," among others. These and many of his other terms for his courses have become part of the basic lexicon in jazz education.
His students and musical associates included Alain Caron, Mike Stern,Danilo Perez, Wayne Krantz, Jeff Berlin, Garry Dial, Gerard D'Angelo, Vic Juris, Hartmut Hillmann, Daryl Rhodes, Stephen Page, Michael Brecker, Jerry Bergonzi, Marilyn Crispell, John Novello,Bruce Arnold, Leni Stern,Rachel Z, Gustavo Assis-Brasil, Jeff Golub, and Frank Singer His exercises have circulated through books, videos, clinics, lectures and courses at such institutions such as Berklee College of Music, Boston, The New School in New York, Manhattan School of Music New York, New England Conservatory of Music, Longy School of Music among others.