The pianist and composer Polo Ortí studied at the Conservatories of Music in the Canary Islands, Madrid, and Valencia. He also graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston and received private lessons from his idol, musician Lyle Mays (Pat Metheny Group).
In addition to being a brilliant interpreter, he was a professor at the Conservatory of Music in the Canary Islands, based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, for seven years. Previously, he taught at the Creative School in Madrid and the Musìcs Workshop in Barcelona and has conducted numerous courses, jazz seminars, and master classes both within and outside of Spain.
In 1990, Gary Burton included three of Ortí's musical compositions on his album "Reunion," where musicians of the stature of Pat Metheny, Mitchel Forman, or Peter Erskine also participated. These songs, “Auntunm", Quick and Running" and “Tiempos felices", first appeared on the US Billboard Jazz chart.
His solo discography includes "Improvisaciones" [1993], "Polo" [1997], produced by actor Gabino Diego, and "Polo Ortí Group Live" [2000].
In 2003, he released "Para Timple y Piano," an album in duet with the Gran Canarian timple player José Antonio Ramos. With this great musician and friend, who is no longer with us today, he carried out an extensive national and Canary Islands tour.
In his CD and DVD "Suite de la Amistad" (2007), he masterfully combined jazz and classical music with the participation of Gary Burton, Jorge Pardo, and the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, directed by maestro Joan Albert Amargós.
In November 2009, he embarked on a tour called "Estrejazz" with a luxury quintet that included, as a guest star, vibraphonist Gary Burton, as well as international musicians such as drummer Antonio Sánchez, Scott Colley, and guitarist Julian Lage.
In 2011, Polo Ortí released his latest album, "Boiling Earth," with his band Polo Ortí Group. That same year, he recorded another album with the Japanese singer and pianist Satomi Morimoto, called "Fuga Dos." The live performances of this album culminated in several concerts in the Canary Islands and a tour in Tokyo, Japan.
In recent years, Polo has performed numerous concerts nationally and internationally, leading his own band or collaborating on projects with other musicians like Jorge Pardo (flamenco flute and sax). Polo Ortí has been living in Valencia for eleven years, where he has served as an Associate Professor of Piano for the Master of Contemporary Performance at Berklee College of Music.
Nowdays, Polo is living in Tenerife (Canary Islands) . He has founded new bands with other musicians for example, WOK or Polo Ortí New Project, and continue with his own Trio or solo piano.
But his greatest project so far consists of the creation of a new music teaching platform, in which he has designed a Master's degree in Contemporary Music Composition. You can inform here: www.composingyourmusic.com