Mack Grout has been performing as a professional jazz pianist for the last twelve years. Born in 1985 in Seattle Washington, USA, Mack started studying music at the age of three. Studying classical piano seriously until age fourteen, he then became interested in jazz and blues music and started studying with Larry Key.
In 2004 upon graduating from South Kitsap High School Mack won the national Louis Armstrong award, as well as scholarships to multiple schools including Berklee College of Music and Cornish College of the Arts.
In 2004 Mack started attending Cornish College of the Arts, where he majored in jazz piano performance and composition under his mentors, Dave Peck, Denney Goodhew, Chuck Deardorf and Jim Knapp. In 2008 Mack graduated magna cum laude and since has been working as a full time band leader, pianist, composer and instructor.
Mack has performed all around the United States in a large variety of bands from jazz to pop and everything in between. He has performed internationally as a soloist and a band leader. As an instructor, Mack has taught at colleges in the pacific northwest and mentored a full studio of serious students, over a dozen of which have gone on to continue their music study at high level conservatories around the world.
In 2015 Mack returned to the United States after living and working abroad for several years as a musical director for international jazz clubs throughout Asia. Since his return he has been focusing on performing as a pianist, as a sideman in original music projects, and operating his jazz piano school Seattle Jazz Academy. Seattle Jazz Academy is a jazz piano school for serious adult pianists who are interested to make the transition into playing jazz and improvising.