Hailed by critics as one of the most accomplished interpreters of the Great American Songbook, John Pizzarelli is known for his brilliant guitar work and smooth vocals. In a career that has produced eighteen recordings and gained international recognition, John has brought classic standards and late night ballads to a new generation ready to swing and swoon. From Carnegie Hall to "Melrose Place," John has gained a wide following from his numerous stage, screen and television appearances and is setting the standard for stylish, modern jazz.

"...What if a jazz band refused to put itself in the genre's usual ghetto, but branched out to embrace the backbeats of rock and the melodic qualities of pop? And what if they did so in a way that didn't compromise any of jazz's improvisational adventure? That's what the Bad Plus has done. And the result has made this trio...one of the most acclaimed new jazz bands in memory." — New York Daily News

Dave King, Photo by Andrea Canter

It was just a few years ago that three young musicians with Midwest roots joined (or rejoined) together to create music that stretched the boundaries of modern jazz like elastic. They made two low-profile recordings before all hell broke loose with a big-label, chart-topping CD, These Are the Vistas (Columbia, 2003). And it wasn't a fluke, as The Bad Plus proved with more commanding sets for Columbia, Give,(2004)and Suspicious Activity (2005). The Bad Plus is a totally original, daring, and—above all—increasingly sophisticated melding of high talent and hot combustion. Bringing a surreal yet symphonic approach to an original and "borrowed" repertoire, this acoustic trio features Ethan Iverson's gorgeous, percussive piano, Reid Anderson's often-melodious, never laid-back acoustic bass, and the incredible resumé of rhythm and sound from Dave King's drum menagerie, all united in the spirit of true collaboration. After up for their early March tour of Europe, the Bad Plus will bring this spirit back to the American West with Yoshi's in Oakland (March 28th-29th) and at Catalina's Bar in Los Angeles (March 30th - April 2nd) and then back up to the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz (April 3rd).

Hiromi, Photo by Andrea Canter

The Bad Plus might fly higher in the media, but arguably the most electrifying jazz artist of the current decade is a diminutive pianist named Hiromi Uehera. The 26-year-old artist has impressed no less than Oscar Peterson, Chick Corea and Ahmad Jamal, wowed critics with three successive Telarc recordings (Another Mind, Brain, and the newly released Spiral) [Click here for the Jazz Police review of Spiral]. Hiromi takes on the west coast, at Catalina’s in LA (Feburary 20-21), at Yoshi’s in Oakland (February 24-25), and north to Seattle at Jazz Alley (February 28-March 1).