Dylan Hayes is a highly regarded jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, originally from San Francisco and currently based in Seattle, WA. At 27 years old, Dylan began playing piano at age 7 and has since built an impressive career. He attended the Marin School of the Arts in high school before continuing his studies at Cornish College of the Arts, graduating in 2019. At Cornish, he had the opportunity to study piano with Dawn Clement and Jovino Santos Neto, as well as arranging with Jim Knapp. During his time at Cornish, Jim Knapp entrusted Dylan and local legend Jay Thomas with the Jim Knapp Orchestra book.
Dylan's piano playing has earned him the opportunity to perform alongside some of jazz’s top musicians, including Benny Bennack III, Barry Stephenson, Jay Thomas, Johnaye Kendrick, Thomas Marriott, Christopher Brown, and Chris Amberger. His debut album, Songs for Rooms and People, was released by Blujazz Productions in March 2020 and was named one of the top ten jazz albums of the year by The Seattle Times. Dylan’s New York/Seattle-based band, Meridian Odyssey, released their album Second Wave under Origin Records in 2021, which was also listed as one of the top fifteen best albums of the year by The Seattle Times. Their sophomore release, Earthshine, won the Northwest Recording of the Year award at Earshot Jazz’s 2022 Golden Ear Awards.
In 2023, Dylan received a commission to arrange one of Thomas Marriott’s compositions for the Carolina Philharmonic. The conductor was astonished by the applause that followed the string soli Dylan arranged, remarking that it was the first time he’d witnessed an audience clap mid-piece in a classical performance. Dylan was also commissioned to arrange compositions by Julian Priester for the Fellowship ‘Ceptet, which premiered at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley in 2023. In addition, he has arranged music for the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra and the Portland Composers Jazz Ensemble.
In 2024, Dylan toured and recorded a record in Europe, performed in New York City, toured the West Coast, and recorded four full-length albums of original music, including a trio record, an octet record, a neo-soul/pop record with Vela The Band, and the third album from Meridian Odyssey. Dylan and Vela The Band performed at the Havana Jazz Festival in January 2025.
Dylan's piano playing has earned him the opportunity to perform alongside some of jazz’s top musicians, including Benny Bennack III, Barry Stephenson, Jay Thomas, Johnaye Kendrick, Thomas Marriott, Christopher Brown, and Chris Amberger. His debut album, Songs for Rooms and People, was released by Blujazz Productions in March 2020 and was named one of the top ten jazz albums of the year by The Seattle Times. Dylan’s New York/Seattle-based band, Meridian Odyssey, released their album Second Wave under Origin Records in 2021, which was also listed as one of the top fifteen best albums of the year by The Seattle Times. Their sophomore release, Earthshine, won the Northwest Recording of the Year award at Earshot Jazz’s 2022 Golden Ear Awards.
In 2023, Dylan received a commission to arrange one of Thomas Marriott’s compositions for the Carolina Philharmonic. The conductor was astonished by the applause that followed the string soli Dylan arranged, remarking that it was the first time he’d witnessed an audience clap mid-piece in a classical performance. Dylan was also commissioned to arrange compositions by Julian Priester for the Fellowship ‘Ceptet, which premiered at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley in 2023. In addition, he has arranged music for the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra and the Portland Composers Jazz Ensemble.
In 2024, Dylan toured and recorded a record in Europe, performed in New York City, toured the West Coast, and recorded four full-length albums of original music, including a trio record, an octet record, a neo-soul/pop record with Vela The Band, and the third album from Meridian Odyssey. Dylan and Vela The Band performed at the Havana Jazz Festival in January 2025.