EFG London Jazz Festival 2023

Joey Calderazzo Trio

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Last Show: Sunday 12 th November 2023

PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho)

One of the finest pianists of his generation, having recorded thirteen albums as a leader, Joey Calderazzo has traveled the road from child prodigy to in-demand session musician to elite member of the finest ensembles in jazz. He’s accompanied the music’s geniuses, from Michael Brecker and Branford Marsalis to Jack DeJohnette and Dave Holland. Throughout his journey, Calderazzo has boldly explored his own psyche and his place in the world, as a composer, improvisor, band member, and leader.

Calderazzo’s long running trio, which recently recorded Live From The Cotton Club Tokyo, Volume I, is his place of relaxation and exploration, where improvisation is key, freedom is the norm, and swing is absolute. Joined by bassist Orlando Le Fleming and drummer Donald Edwards, Calderazzo examines original material and choice cover renditions in a live performance inspired by his prodigiously broad approach to jazz.

Early in his career, after groundbreaking records with saxophone legend Michael Brecker and solo recordings on Blue Note Records, Calderazzo experienced an epiphany that affected his piano playing and compositional direction.

Calderazzo’s breadth and depth as a pianist is astounding. A single solo, either with his trio or Branford Marsalis’ Quartet, can allude to myriad generations of jazz piano giants, filtered through his keen, hard-swinging lens and joyous touch.

When Michael Brecker’s then pianist Kenny Kirkland left to join Sting, the famous session player and tenor icon invited Calderazzo to join his band. Brecker had just released his 1987 debut on Impulse! Records with a cast including Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden and Jack DeJohnette. The sky was officially the limit.

Brecker produced Calderazzo’s 1990 Blue Note debut, In The Door, and enlisted the young pianist for every recording thereafter until his untimely death. In 1998, Branford Marsalis asked Calderazzo to join his quartet. Their association continues to this day.