Laura’s roots are solidly in the Midwest and music. She tells about her father’s barbershop quartet gigs as a student at Grinnell College in Iowa, when the young pianist was a fellow named Herbie Hancock. She received a Bachelor’s of Music in Composition from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI, and a Masters of Music in Improvisation from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

Caviani is a veteran of over 15 years of performing, recording and composing, including appearances with Toots Theilemans, Bob Mintzer, and Dave Liebman, and touring and recording with rising star vocalist Karrin Allyson. As a leader she has four acclaimed recordings to her credit and a long list of supporting roles with local musicians. Recent projects include her birthday tributes to Thelonius Monk, the Millay Project with Prudence Johnson, Soul Café with guitarist Steve Blons and saxman Brad Holden, Pete Whitman’s Xtet and Departure Point, the Jazz MN Big Band, and numerous appearances with vocalist Lucia Newell. As a composer, she has created numerous works for jazz ensembles and orchestral works for the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra and the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra.

Whatever the project, Laura Caviani garners high praise; her recordings have been described as “outstanding” (Minneapolis Star Tribune), “stunningly fresh” (Jazz Times), “sparkling and inventive” (Marian McPartland); and “poised right where the salon meets the saloon, with as much spunk as serenity” (Tom Surowicz). Whether comping for big band, trio or vocalist, or leading the way with her improvisations of standards or original works, she displays a wide range of harmony and passion, dazzling energy, and boundless imagination.