Roberta Piket

Roberta Piket (born 1965) is an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, and arranger.[1]

Roberta Piket
Born1965 (age 54–55)
Queens, New York, U.S.
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician, composer, arranger
InstrumentsPiano, organ
Years active1990s–present
Websiterobertajazz.com

Life and career

Piket was born in Queens, New York,[2] in 1965.[1] Her father was composer Frederick Piket.[2] She started playing the piano at the age of 7 and moved to jazz in her early teens.[2] A university joint double-degree program led to her receiving a computer science degree from Tufts University and a jazz studies degree from the New England Conservatory of Music.[2] While at university, she took private lessons from Stanley Cowell, Fred Hersch, Jim McNeely, and Bob Moses.[2]

Her first album as leader was Unbroken Line, recorded for Criss Cross in 1996.[3] Her first album for a U.S. label was in 1999: Live at the Blue Note, for Half Note.[4] The 2003 release I'm Back in Therapy and It's All Your Fault was Piket's first with her Alternating Current ensemble.[5] This band was formed after she acquired an electric piano to use in venues that did not have an acoustic piano and then discovered that it did not suit her trio but made her think of new types of music to play.[5]

On Billy Mintz's 2014 album Mintz Quartet, Piket played piano, organ, and sang on one track.[6] She had done the same thing for her earlier album, Sides, Colors, which also included several tracks she arranged for wind instruments, horn instruments, and strings.[7] She was named Rising Star – Organ by DownBeat critics in 2018.[8]

Playing style

The DownBeat reviewer of Emanation (Solo: Volume 2) commented on the absence of a "steady pulse, stride or walking bass" in her solo piano playing; "Instead, she establishes momentum through a rhythmic motif [...and] keeps things moving through more intricate alterations between her hands".[9]

Discography

An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.

As leader/co-leader
Year recorded Title Label Personnel/Notes
1996 Unbroken Line Criss Cross Most tracks quintet, with Donny McCaslin (tenor sax, soprano sax), Scott Wendholt (trumpet), Michael Formanek (bass), Jeff Williams (drums); some tracks sextet, with Javon Jackson (tenor sax) added
1999 Live at the Blue Note Half Note With Harvie Swartz (bass), Jeff Williams (drums), John O'Gallagher (alto sax, soprano sax)
2000* Speak, Memory Fresh Sound New Talent With Masa Kamaguchi (bass), Jeff Williams (drums)
2000 Midnight in Manhattan Meldac Trio, with Michael Formanek (bass), Jeff Williams (drums)
2002* Autumn of Tears Meldac Trio, with Rufus Reid (bass), Billy Hart (drums)
2003* I'm Back in Therapy and It's All Your Fault Thirteenth Note Electric quartet, with Bruce Arnold (guitar), Cliff Schmidt (bass), Kirk Driscoll (drums)
2006* Love and Beauty Thirteenth Note Trio
2011* Side, Colors Thirteenth Note Some tracks trio; some have strings or wind instruments added
2012* Solo Thirteenth Note Solo piano
2015* Emanation (Solo: Volume 2) Thirteenth Note Solo piano
2016* One For Marian: Celebrating Marian McPartland Thirteenth Note Sextet
2018* West Coast Trio Thirteenth Note Most tracks trio, with Darek Oles (bass), Joe LaBarbera (drums); two tracks quartet, with Larry Koonse (guitar) added

As sidewoman
Year recorded Leader Title Label
2014* Billy Mintz Mintz Quartet Thirteenth Note
gollark: Well, if it was cool and good™, it would bring the blue line closer to -5 without the green line wildly oscillating.
gollark: It appears that my code may have problems.
gollark: I wonder if I can attain apioform.law or something.
gollark: Hmm.
gollark: Oh, that.

References
  1. Roberta Piket (July 11, 2015). "Hey Wikipedia". robertajazz.com. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  2. Jackson, Grant (February 26, 2011) "Roberta Piket on Piano Jazz". npr.
  3. Dryden, Ken "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
  4. Dryden, Ken "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
  5. Graybow, Steven (March 8, 2003) "Jazz Notes". Billboard 115/10. p. 17.
  6. Farberman, Brad (February 2014) "Billy Mintz/John Gross/Roberta Piket/Putter Smith – Mintz Quartet". DownBeat. p. 92.
  7. Doerschuk, Robert L. (June 2011) "Roberta Piket – Beyond the Trio". DownBeat. p. 21.
  8. "66th Annual Critics Poll Complete Results". DownBeat. August 2018. p. 59.
  9. Doerschuk, Bob (August 2015) "Roberta Piket – Emanation (Solo: Volume 2)". DownBeat. p. 89.
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