Chris Jasper
| Chris Jasper | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Christopher H. Jasper |
| Born |
December 30, 1951 Cincinnati, Ohio United States |
| Genres | R&B, soul, jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, keyboards, Moog synthesizer, guitar, bass guitar, drums |
| Years active | 1969–1988 (groups); 1988–present (solo) |
| Labels | Gold City Records |
| Associated acts | The Isley Brothers, Isley-Jasper-Isley |
| Website | Official website |
| Notable instruments | |
| Keyboards/synthesizers, bass, guitar, drums | |
Christopher H. "Chris" Jasper (born December 30, 1951, Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American singer, composer, and producer. Jasper is a former member of the Isley Brothers and Isley-Jasper-Isley and is responsible for writing and producing the majority of the Isley Brothers music (1973–83) and Isley-Jasper-Isley music (1984–87). He is also a successful solo musician and record producer, recording over 10 of his own solo albums, including 4 urban contemporary gospel albums, all written, produced and performed, both vocally and instrumentally, by Jasper. Jasper also produces artists for his New York City based record label, Gold City Records. Jasper's keyboard and Moog synthesizer work was a primary ingredient of the Isley Brothers sound of the 1970s and 1980s (the "gold and platinum" years) when the Isley Brothers were a self-contained band.
Chris Jasper is a classically trained musician and composer. The youngest of seven siblings, Jasper started studying classical music at the age of 7. After graduating from high school in Cincinnati, he moved to New York to study music composition at the esteemed Juilliard School of Music in New York City. He continued his studies at C.W. Post, Long Island University, New York, where he studied with noted jazz pianist and composer, Billy Taylor and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in music composition. He subsequently earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Concord University School of Law.
The Jasper and Isley families lived in the same apartment complex in Cincinnati. While still living in Cincinnati, Jasper's older sister, Elaine, married Rudolph Isley and the vocal trio formed by the three older brothers, Rudolph, Ronald and O'Kelly, subsequently relocated to Teaneck, New Jersey. While living temporarily in Teaneck with his sister as a young teenager and attending Teaneck High School, Jasper and the two younger Isleys, Marvin and Ernie, formed a band, "The Jazzman Trio" with Jasper on keyboards, Ernie on drums, and Marvin on bass. The band played local gigs in the New Jersey area. Along with Jasper, Marvin and Ernie also attended C.W. Post College in New York. While still in college, Jasper, Ernie and Marvin toured with the older Isley Brothers and played on the earlier recordings, including "It's Your Thing." Jasper's first of many songs written for the Isley Brothers was "Love Put Me on a Corner" released on the Isleys' "Brother, Brother, Brother" album in 1972.
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