Home » Jazz Musicians » Jay D'Amico

Jay D'Amico

Composer, arranger and pianist Jay D'Amico, who made a strong impact on the jazz scene with his release of Ponte Novello in 2001, has returned to the inspirations of Italy on his new release, Tuscan Prelude. The recording is a further exploration of D'Amico's unique fusion of jazz and classical influences and features eleven original compositions that D'Amico penned during one of his frequent visits to Italy.

"Tuscany holds a special place in my heart because of the Renaissance and the timeless art and music that that era has given us," says D'Amico. "I've studied both classical and jazz music, and I love them both," he continues, as he explains his approach. "At this point in my career, it feels right to combine them in one recording because I feel I've got a strong enough grounding in both to allow my own style to emerge."

Joining D'Amico on Tuscan Prelude are bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Ronnie Zito. D'Amico says that the music on Tuscan Prelude called for a bassist who could execute difficult passages with a bow, and "Marc was just amazing with that." Zito, who D'Amico first met when he was pianist in residence at New York's Windows on the World, also collaborated with D'Amico on Ponte Novello. "Ronnie is a drummer of great interpretive depth, insight and versatility," adds D'Amico.

Bassist Greg D'Amico (the pianist's brother) and drummer Vinnie Favata appear on the CD's final track, "Aria in D." "Greg just swings, and Vinnie--who comes out of the Rat Pack era and who played with Sammy Davis, Jr.--has an incredibly sensitive feel on the drums," enthuses D'Amico. "I couldn't have made a recording without including them somehow."

Given the seamless performance that the trio offers on Tuscan Prelude, it's remarkable to learn that they barely rehearsed before joining forces in the studio. "I like having that edge, that freshness," says D'Amico. "What you're hearing is basically a live recording."

D'Amico's sound has evolved over the years, honed in performances with his own trio and a variety of other musicians, most notably bassist and lifelong friend Milt "the Judge" Hinton, whom the pianist credits as one of the primary influences on his career. "Several years back, I played a few of the tracks on my earlier release, Ponte Novello, for Milt--he'd only performed on one track on the CD--and he just smiled at me and said, 'Man, you found your niche."

That niche can be described as the melodious intersection of two very distinct musical roads, which D'Amico says are actually not that diverse to his thinking. "My music is somewhat comparable to opera, in that it's sing-able, even though my compositions are obviously all instrumental. Jazz starts from that same European harmonic tradition and incorporates African rhythms. I'm just finding my own way around that," he explains.

Read more

Tags

392
Album Review

The Jay D'Amico Trio: Nocturne: Jazz Under Glass

Read "Nocturne: Jazz Under Glass" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Pianist Jay D'Amico neatly straddles two musical worlds, those of jazz and classical, embodying the best of each on Nocturne, whose subtitle--"Jazz Under Glass"--explicitly describes D'Amico's singular point of view. All of the compositions and arrangements are his, and they are invariably melodic and tasteful while at the same time underlining such essential Jazz components as spontaneity and swing, albeit with a perceptible classical veneer.

Even though much of the music is temperate and easygoing, D'Amico keeps it interesting by ...

221
Album Review

Jay D'Amico: Tuscan Prelude

Read "Tuscan Prelude" reviewed by Francis Lo Kee


Tuscan Prelude is Jay D'Amico's fourth recording as a leader. Though talk of a combination of classical music and jazz might conjure up sonic images of the Modern Jazz Quartet, a comparison to John Lewis, wouldn't do credit to either D'Amico or Lewis, in spite of the fact that both have a fast, accurate, but delicate touch on the keys. Another pianist, however, whose approach might tangentially resemble D'Amico's could be Vince Guaraldi, both sharing a penchant for direct melodic ...

207
Album Review

The Jay D'Amico Trio: Tuscan Prelude: Jazz Under Glass

Read "Tuscan Prelude: Jazz Under Glass" reviewed by Jerry D'Souza


Italy was the source of inspiration that gave semblance to composer, arranger and pianist Jay D'Amico's 2001 recording of Ponte Novello (CAP). He went back to Italy and, as with the earlier visit, found that he was stimulated enough to write more music.

D'Amico became interested in playing the piano after listening to the music of Frederick Chopin and drawn to jazz after seeing an Oscar Peterson performance on television. While his compositions are redolent of his classical bent D'Amico ...

415
Album Review

The Jay D'Amico Trio: Tuscan Prelude: Jazz Under Glass

Read "Tuscan Prelude: Jazz Under Glass" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Some years ago I reviewed Ponte Novello (CAP, 2001) by pianist Jay D'Amico's trio (augmented on four tracks by a string section), and was impressed by the way in which he transposed operatic arias by Puccini, Bellini and Verdi, among others, to the jazz idiom, leaving their inherent beauty intact while proving that those masters have much to say to a contemporary audience if their music is prudently amended under the proper circumstances.

Tuscan Prelude is a collection of original ...

Read more articles
35

Recording

Jay D'Amico Trio - Nocturne: Jazz Under Glass (2010)

Jay D'Amico Trio - Nocturne: Jazz Under Glass (2010)

Source: Something Else!

By PicoA couple of years ago, pianist Jay D'Amico put out a record that made a fine illustration of his ability to combine the classical stylings of Chopin with the suppleness and relaxed feel of a traditional jazz trio. Tuscan Prelude: Jazz Under Glass was a successful melding of the styles, which has been attempted more often in larger group settings. D'Amico's blend of classical and jazz within such a small group has become something of a specialty ...

127

Recording

Jay D'Amico Explores Varied Musical Terrain on Tuscan Prelude

Jay D'Amico Explores Varied Musical Terrain on Tuscan Prelude

Source: GoMedia PR

Pianist's First CD in Five Years Fuses Jazz and Classical Elements Pianist Jay D'Amico, who made a strong impact on the jazz scene with the release of Ponte Novello in 2001, has returned to the inspirations of Italy on his new release, Tuscan Prelude, which has just been released. The CD, which has already begun to find friends at jazz radio, is a further exploration of D'Amico's unique fusion of jazz and classical influences, and features eleven original compositions that ...

"Jay D'Amico plays piano with a gossamer touch and canny sense of style... there is a certain shapeliness to each solo and a tangible sense of touch, like good sculpture.

--Fred Bouchard, Down Beat

"Jay D'Amico's Ponte Novello... works like a well-oiled Swiss timepiece… fresh and charming. Pure enchantment.

--Jack Bowers

"Excellent piano playing... Improvisation is original, creative, clever and yet still retains musicality as opposed to cliches--a trap that some of the big name piano players fall into.

--Charlie Ventura, Jr.

"Simply marvelous piano!"

--Joe Franklin

Read more

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Nocturne: Jazz Under...

Consolidated Artists Productions
2010

buy

Tuscan Prelude

Consolidated Artists Productions
2008

buy

Similar

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.