Shai Maestro
Shai Maestro (born February 5, 1987)[1] is an Israeli jazz pianist.
Shai Maestro | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | February 5, 1987 |
Origin | Israel |
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, bandleader |
Instrument(s) | Piano |
Labels | ECM, Sound Surveyor, Laborie |
Website | shaimaestro |
Biography
Shai Maestro began playing classical piano aged five and graduated from the Thelma Yellin High School of Performing Arts in Givataim, Israel. After winning the National Jazz Ensembles Competition Jazz Signs in 2002 and 2003 and receiving scholarships (2004 to 2010) from the America-Israel Cultural Fund for jazz piano, he attended Berklee College of Music's Five-Week Summer Performance Program in Boston, where he was awarded a scholarship to attend Berklee, an offer he declined.
A few weeks later, bassist Avishai Cohen invited him to join his trio with drummer Mark Guiliana. He recorded four albums with the Avishai Cohen Trio, including two for Blue Note: Gently Disturbed (2008), Sensitive Hours (2008), Aurora (2009), and Seven Seas (2011). He toured with the trio.
In July 2010, Maestro formed a trio and recorded Shai Maestro Trio for the French label Laborie Jazz. The trio toured around the world, playing up to 80 concerts a year and sharing stages with groups led by Chick Corea, Tigran Hamasyan, Esperanza Spalding, and Diana Krall. In 2012, the trio released their second album, The Road to Ithaca, for Laborie Jazz. This was followed by Untold Stories (2015) and The Stone Skipper (2016). The albums were praised by DownBeat magazine, NPR, BBC, and WBGO's The Checkout. He recorded The Dream Thief (ECM) with Ofri Nehemya on drums and Jorge Roeder on bass. The album was recorded at Lugano's Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI in April 2018 and was produced by Manfred Eicher. Besides his trio, he contributed to an album by vocalist Theo Bleckmann.
Discography
As leader
Year recorded | Year released | Title | Label | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | 2012 | Shai Maestro Trio | Laborie | Trio, with Jorge Roeder (bass), Ziv Ravitz (drums) |
2013 | The Road to Ithaca | Laborie | Trio | |
2015 | Untold Stories | Motema | Trio, with Jorge Roeder (bass), Ziv Ravitz (drums)[2] | |
2016 | The Stone Skipper | Sound Surveyor | Most tracks trio, with Jorge Roeder (bass), Ziv Ravitz (drums); some tracks with guests: Gretchen Parlato, Neli Andreeva, Kalnina Andreeva, Theo Bleckmann, Mika Ravitz (vocals)[3] | |
2018 | 2018 | The Dream Thief | ECM | Trio, with Jorge Roeder (bass), Ofri Nehemya (drums)[4] |
2020 | 2021 | Human | ECM | Quartet, with Philip Dizack (trumpet), Jorge Roeder (bass), Ofri Nehemya (drums)[5] |
As sideman
- Gently Disturbed – Avishai Cohen (2008)
- Aurora – Avishai Cohen (2009)
- Seven Seas – Avishai Cohen (2011)
- Like a Great River – Oded Tzur (2015)
- Traces – Camila Meza (2016)
- Translator's Note – Oded Tzur (2017)
- NY Standard – Ari Hoenig (2018)
- High Heart – Ben Wendel (2020)
References
- "Shai Maestro Biography".
- "Untold Stories". AllAboutJazz. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- "The Stone Skipper". AllAboutJazz. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- "Shai Maestro: The Dream Thief (ECM 2616)". ecmreviews. June 30, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- "Shai Maestro: Human (ECM 2688)". ecmreviews. January 3, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2022.