Born: February 27, 1965 Primary Instrument: Piano
Everybody knows Joey Calderazzo, the phenomenal band pianist. From the time of his emergence with Michael Brecker in 1986 through his recent work in the Branford Marsalis Quartet, and on five previous albums under his own name, Calderazzo has proved to be among the most intense and engaged of contemporary soloists and accompanists. His energy, technique and rapid fire imagination have marked him as one of the most exciting jazz pianists to emerge in the past two decades. Calderazzo has documented this commanding mastery of group interplay on five previous albums that found him matching ideas and passions with such imposing artists as Brecker, Marsalis, Jerry Bergonzi, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, John Patitucci and Jeff “Tain” Watts.
After nearly two decades in the spotlight, Calderazzo has become a more complete and nuanced player, one equally capable of touching souls with taste and sensitivity. The complete range of Calderazzo’s skills, however, has never been more evident than on Haiku, his debut disc on Marsalis Music.
What Calderazzo can imagine is more solo playing in his future. While continuing to display his interactive skills in the collective cauldron of Marsalis’ quartet, he is simultaneously finding new levels of feeling, and new directions, in the unaccompanied format. “I learned more from this album than from any album I ever did,” the pianist emphasizes. “Playing solo just feels right. To do more of that, then get back together with Branford and Mike will just be the best.” Now Joey Calderazzo’s fans can learn more about his expanding talents on Haiku.
Photo Credit: Hans Speekenbrink
