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 Laura Caviani©Andrea Canter
Raised in the Midwest where she studied trumpet as well as piano through high school, Laura Caviani 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. With a grant from the Atlantic Center for the Arts in 1997, she studied with piano virtuoso JoAnne Brackeen, and the following year was one of four American musicians selected to study in Japan at the Akiyoshidai International Art Village. Laura’s teaching credits include St. John's University, the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, the University of St. Thomas, the University of Minnesota, the University of Wisconsin-Steven’s Point and, currently, Carleton and St. Olaf Colleges in Northfield. This past summer, she was guest artist/educator in residence in Cordoba, Argentina.
Whether leading her own trio, holding down the piano chair for Soul Café, Departure Point or Pete Whitman’s Xtet or supporting vocalists at Crave and other venues, Laura’s touch, imagination and original compositions are virtuosic. In January 2006 she released her fifth recording, Going There, “full of warmth and a swinging sense of fun” (Bob Protzman). Her resume includes work with Toots Thielmans, Stan Getz, Diane Schur, Judi Silvano and more, as well as ongoing touring dates with vocalist Karrin Allyson.  Adam Linz©Andrea Canter A former student of Ed Blackwell, native Philadelphian Phil Hey is one of the busiest drummers in town. He has performed with Kenny Barron, Dewey Redman, Benny Carter, and Benny Golson, and often is on the bandstand at the Dakota and Artists Quarter, backing touring artists (Stacy Kent, Judi Silvano, Benny Golson, Dewey Redman), local vocalists (Connie Evingson, Lucia Newell), and small ensembles (Chris Lomheim Trio, Laura Caviani Trio). He also manages percussion duties for the Pete Whitman X-Tet, Departure Point, Apex, Mulligan Stew and the Out to Lunch Quintet (OTLQ), and finds time to teach at the University of Minnesota and Macalester College in St. Paul. His recording credits are legion, including on the Artegra label with the Chris Lomheim Trio (The Bridge) and with the Pete Whitman Quintet (Sound of Water) and X-Tet (Where’s When). He also contributed to Von Freeman’s Live at the Dakota, rating four stars from Down Beat. Phil Hey© Andrea Canter Laura and Thelonious You can’t find Laura Caviani without finding Thelonious Monk; Monk’s compositions appear on her recordings and are frequently featured in her live performances. At a Soul Café engagement—combining the music of Monk with readings of the beat generation poets, someone asked, “Why Monk?” “Because after Ellington, Monk was the one,” she replied, and then demonstrated some of the classic Monkisms of rhythm and harmony that illustrate his eccentric, inventive approach to the keyboard. Indeed, Monk’s quirky behavior (many assumed he was truly crazy), individual style, and unique compositions were far ahead of the bop and post bop inventions that followed many years later. For a long time, only the most sophisticated jazz musicians, including Coleman Hawkins and John Coltrane, appreciated his genius. Yet today, variations of Monk’s compositions are part of the standard repertoire of jazz, from straight ahead to avant garde. Why does Laura Caviani in particular salute Monk? “For me,” she says, “the beauty of Monk's compositions are in their deceptively difficult nature. He'll set you up, then make a quick left and leave you wondering where ‘one’ is! A younger me found Monk's music too angular and quirky, not romantic enough, perhaps. Now, his humor keeps me sane in this crazy world. Monk's compositions leave enough space for musicians to make their personal mark, and it's been fun interpreting his work with Adam and Phil.” And perhaps Monk appeals to Laura because she also is a highly inventive musician with a great appreciation and apparent understanding of the complexities of odd rhythms, dissonant harmonies, and the great opportunities that Monk’s music affords clever improvisers. In both her recorded work and in live performance, Monk lives not so much in her adherence to his melodies but in the spirit of Caviani’s deconstructions and re-inventions…whether a samba-styled arrangement of “Round Midnight” and a topsy-turvy spin on “Well You Needn’t… Laura notes that, “Since 1995 (with the exception of a few hiatuses), I've put together various groups to perform an annual tribute to the legendary Thelonious Monk. This year would have been his 90th birthday… The show at the Paramount in St. Cloud will be more formal in the newly renovated theatre of my childhood. If you haven't seen this theatre, and love Monk, now might be the time to make the hour drive to St. Cloud on October 6th. The acoustics are incredible, and the ambience brings you back to the 1920s. On Monk's actual birthday (October 10th), we'll be celebrating in style at the Artists' Quarter.” In style indeed—complete with birthday cake. And it’s a double celebration—Laura’s birthday is on October 11th. So, as Laura says, “Come have some cake, and hang out in this club where you can actually hear a pin drop every night of the week.” The Laura Caviani Trio will perform on October 6th at the Paramount Theater in St. Cloud, 320-259-5463. The Birthday Party continues in St. Paul on October 10th at the Artists Quarter, 408 St. Peter Street, 9 pm; www.artistsquarter.com
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Twin Cities, MN 
Thursday, 08 January 2009
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