CONCERT: Friday, May 29 at 8 PM

Pianist Misha Pialatigorsky leads trio at Jazz Series
Award-Winning Young Jazz Musician was Classically Trained

To hear the name Piatigorsky is to think of classical music and indeed Misha Piatigorsky's musical family saw to it that he received training in the classics at a very early age. But by the time he was 16, having emigrated to America, he began exploring the jazz idiom. Today he is both a composer and a performer, and an award winning one at that.

Misha Piatigorsky will lead a trio when he debuts with the Watchung Arts Center's Jazz Series on Friday evening, May 29. Backed by bass and drums, the youthful pianist will exhibit the keyboard skills that won him second place in the prestigious American Jazz Pianists Association competition last year. The music starts at 8 PM, with tickets priced at only $10, including intermission refreshments.

Having studied under Kenny Barron at Rutgers, and "paid his dues" playing the Newark jazz clubs, Misha Piatigorsky has covered a lot of ground. He's toured jazz-hungry Germany with his trio, and appeared at the North Sea, Umbria, Montreux and other European festivals. Back home his trio gave an explosive performance at the Caramoor Jazz Festival, where they opened for the Tommy Flanagan Trio.

Having also earned a Masters degree from the Manhattan School of Music, Misha Piatigorsky has been exposed to the great jazz artists who pass through the Big Apple. He's played with Frank Foster, Frank Wess, Jon Faddis, Jon Hendricks and Ernie Watts, among others. While he is both comfortable and proficient with the early jazz repertoire, he lists his influences as including Keith Jarrett, Bill Evens, Ahmad Jamal and Thelonious Monk, all of whom were from the progressive school of jazz.

The Watchung Arts Center's Gallery is an especially good piano room, since it can be arranged so that every seat is within four rows of the Altenburg grand. Acoustics are superb too. The intimate atmosphere led one performer to claim "It's like playing in someone's living room."

Seats may be reserved in advance by telephone. Simply call (908) 753-0190, leaving a message on the voice mail outside of the office hours (1 to 4 PM). Tickets are held at the door.