Pianist and ECM recording artist from Brooklyn blends jazz with eastern influences
Philip Dizack trumpet, Shai Maestro piano, Jorge Roeder bass, Ofri Nehemya drums
With his successful debut album on ECM, Shai Maestro instantly became part of the line of famous jazz pianists who have defined the label: Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley and Chick Corea. This year sees the release of the album by the New York pianist and his close-knit trio. They mix jazz with all kinds of influences, Eastern as well as European and American. Special guest is young trumpeter Philip Dizack, named by Downbeat as one of the twenty-five ‘Trumpet Players for the Future’.
Shai Maestro began playing classical piano at the age of five and after listening to Oscar Peterson at the age of eight he became mad about jazz. He turned down offers from prestigious American music schools and at nineteen he joined famous double bassist Avishai Cohen. For five years he celebrated success at the best known festivals and venues with Cohen and drummer Mark Guiliana. Shai moved to Brooklyn, New York, where he formed his own trio in 2011.
‘A formidable composer and performer who frequently fashions the sounds of his native Israel into the stuff of improvised fantasias’ (The Guardian).