Four jazz pianists under the age of 40 taking the genre in new directions.
Alfredo Rodríguez
Spotted by Quincy Jones at the Montreux Jazz Festival a decade ago, this 30-year-old Cuban was forced to renounce his citizenship to pursue a music career in the United States. Shades of both contemporary classical music and his Latin heritage shine through in Rodríguez's fluid and inventive trio, which will be presented as the final performance of this year's Abu Dhabi Festival. The Alfredo Rodríguez Trio performs at The Arts Centre at NYUAD, Saadiyat Island, on May 28 at 8pm. Register for free tickets at www.nyuad-artscenter.org
Tarek Yamani
The Lebanese pianist is making great strides, integrating traditional Arabic folk songs and scales into a jazz-trio format, as captured compellingly on outstanding second album Lisan Al Tarab: Jazz Conceptions in Classical Arabic. After a spell in New York, Yamani recently settled in the UAE, and has been commissioned to take the fusion further by the Abu Dhabi Festival, with a research project entitled Portraits in Khaleeji Rhythms and Jazz, set to debut at the 2017 event. Check www.facebook.com/tarek.yamani for news of upcoming gigs.
Ivo Neame
This British musician is among the most prolific talents on London’s thriving jazz scene, lending his distinct stylings to a multitude of bands. He’s the key harmonic component in bassist Jasper Høiby’s award-winning trio Phronesis, a linchpin of the excellent, dreamy Kairos 4 tet, and a member of London’s Loop Collective. Neame was called on to back Norwegian sax poster boy Marius Neset on two albums. As well as a dozen other releases, the 35-year-old has also found time to record four LPs as leader, showcasing classical flavours and post-ECM leanings on his distinctly European approach to the keys.
Robert Glasper
For some years now, Glasper has been at the forefront of a new generation of American musicians taking jazz in fresh directions. Alongside his band, the Robert Glasper Experiment, the 37-year-old pianist offers perhaps the most cohesive blend of jazz and hip-hop/R& B to date, captured most memorably on 2012’s Grammy-winning album Black Radio, which featured guest turns from urban heavyweights including Erykah Badu and Mos Def (billed as Yasiin Bey). The fusion runs both ways, with Glasper playing a key role on Kendrick Lamar’s genre-bending To Pimp a Butterfly.