Parker Jazz Club Presents: The Misha Piatigorsky Trio

Thu, Jan 30

Hailed by the Boston Globe as an artist who “beautifully merges the worlds of serious jazz and pop”, Misha Piatigorsky’s blend of powerful melodies with an unusual harmonic sensitivity gives his sound a deeply personal yet cosmopolitan dimension, reflecting his experience as a Russian-Jewish émigré growing up in urban America. The great nephew of legendary cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, with international upbringing followed by international acclaim, he works in New York City to advance the modern jazz sound beyond the standards. He performs solo piano and trio concerts and leads his latest project The Daddy Rabbit, an immersive “theater-in-the-round” speakeasy performance that has taken New York by storm, featuring his favorite musicians from around the world. Aside from performing, Misha dedicates his time to producing albums, composing for both his groups as well as other artists, and giving masterclasses both in composition and performance. In addition to winning the Thelonious Monk Composers Competition (2004), Misha spent eight years being music director of the late great jazz vocal master Mark Murphy. He can also be heard on the soundtracks of major motion pictures including How I Fell in Love with a Gangster, Chaos Theory, Pretty Persuasion, Victory Over Darkness, RX, and Danika. Renowned for his virtuosic flair onstage, Piatigorsky’s technique, charisma and electric energy have been described in The New York Times and by Forbes Magazine “When the concert kicked off—with Piatigorsky howling “Let the games begin!” into the microphone—it was hysteria-generating, and not just because it felt emblematic of the return of a certain kind of live music in New York City. There’s also the simple fact that Piatigorsky and his fellow musicians are stupefyingly good at what they do.” Born in Moscow, Piatigorsky immigrated to the United States at the age of eight. He earned his Bachelors Degree under pianist Kenny Barron at Rutgers University, and his Masters Degree at Manhattan School of Music.