EPK

Max Holm is a rising jazz pianist, composer, producer, arranger and educator. He attended the Berklee College of Music as one of the elite few Presidential Scholars, and was soon accepted into the prestigious Berklee Global Jazz Institute. Max received his Bachelor of Music degree in Professional Music with triple concentrations in performance, composing and production in 2020, graduating Summa Cum Laude. Over the years he’s amassed numerous awards, including Outstanding Jazz Piano Soloist from Downbeat Magazine, Outstanding Jazz Piano Soloist at the Essentially Ellington Competition at Lincoln Center, Outstanding Jazz Piano from Yamaha Young Artists Competition, and many more. 

Max has performed hundreds of times across the US and Europe, often with renowned jazz musicians in arenas and famous venues, such as Dizzy’s Club, Blues Alley, and the Stadium of Fire, among many others. With his namesake quartet, he’s performed at several jazz festivals on two continents. See Venue list.

Max’s jazz arrangements and recordings of Bach’s Air on the G String and Prelude in C Minor can be heard on Anne Hathaway’s and Jessica Chastain’s film Mothers’ Instinct. Other recordings are heard on TV and cable networks across the world. His hard rock composition DO OR DIE was placed in a recent Monster Energy campaign. Max is known for quick turn-around on custom briefs with high quality. His deep knowledge of music theory is evident in his compositions.

Max’s music has been streamed over 30 million times as part of over 12,000 influencer channels who’ve paid to use his music on TikTok and YouTube. His most popular compositions, Get It! and Piano Ballad in C Minor will soon be available to license directly from this site. Email Max  for information before the page goes live by using the Contact form on this site.

Max is a featured performer on the award-winning album The Inside of the Outside with Jeff Coffin, Branford Marsalis, Trombone Shorty, et al.

His song Gran Via from the Don’t Be A Stranger album inspired Chick Corea to tell Max, “You make that piano sound good! Play that chorus again! ”

Max’s album of neo-classical music for film trailers, IMPASSE, is out now on all streaming platforms. As a prolific composer, he has amassed a catalog of music of over 200 compositions and counting. Max accepts custom briefs for original music. Use the Contact form for a description of your project. Be sure to provide your email address. 

His book Ace Your Sight-Reading Audition! is a favorite among musicians of all ages in the US, UK, Spain, Mexico and Brazil. It is available in English and Spanish, as hardcover, paperback, Kindle and Audiobook. Max is already working on his second and third books under his Easy Music Hacks imprint.

Max teaches jazz composition/arranging, and jazz piano to Oklahoma State University students. He has given master classes in the US and Europe.

Max grew up in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of a American digital nomad mother with a genius IQ and a Swedish classical violinist father.  His father, Lars Holm, toured with American Jazz Dummer Max Roach in the early 1980s, and can be heard on “Max Roach’s Double Quartet: Live at Vielharmonie” in Munich, Germany. Far from having an idyllic childhood, Max had to overcome many painful experiences. The story of his eventual departure from Sweden despite great adversity is filled with daring scenes and clever strategies.

At the age of 13, Max lost half his blood from 20 ulcers and had a near death experience. 7 blood transfusions from 7 strangers, saved his life and gave him an overwhelming passion for jazz. He gave a TED talk about it.

Max has a deep compassion for the suffering other others, but understands that life wisdom comes from how one processes experiences. Music is part of that evolutionary journey for him. He is passionate about music, history, and philosophy. Max is fluent in English and Swedish, and has some conversational Spanish. He’s moved 22 times across the US and Europe, so far.As a dual citizen, Max is authorized to work in both the US and the European Union.