North City Bistro is proud to present a very special jazz and intimate performance. Jazz pianist & composer Francesco Crosara will appear in duet with internationally-renowned guitarist John Stowell. The duo will explore musical concepts based on improvisation, original compositions from Crosara’s latest CD “Circular Motion”, and select jazz and Brazilian standards. Expect lyrical and introspective music.
FRANCESCO CROSARA
Francesco Crosara is a Seattle-based Italian jazz pianist, composer and educator performing in a variety of formations. Crosara’s original music melds an impressive mix of jazz improvisation, a romantic vein from his classical Conservatory training in Rome, bouncy lyrical expression along with strong Latin influences. His main jazz piano influences are Chick Corea, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, and Herbie Hancock....
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North City Bistro is proud to present a very special jazz and intimate performance. Jazz pianist & composer Francesco Crosara will appear in duet with internationally-renowned guitarist John Stowell. The duo will explore musical concepts based on improvisation, original compositions from Crosara’s latest CD “Circular Motion”, and select jazz and Brazilian standards. Expect lyrical and introspective music.
FRANCESCO CROSARA
Francesco Crosara is a Seattle-based Italian jazz pianist, composer and educator performing in a variety of formations. Crosara’s original music melds an impressive mix of jazz improvisation, a romantic vein from his classical Conservatory training in Rome, bouncy lyrical expression along with strong Latin influences. His main jazz piano influences are Chick Corea, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, and Herbie Hancock.
Crosara stands among the European-bred jazz greats, performing over the years with the likes of Lionel Hampton, Freddie Hubbard, Roy Hargrove, Richie Cole, Bobby Shew, Ira Sullivan, Don Menza, Von Freeman, John Heard, Gabe Baltazar, Mayuto Correa, Bruce Forman, Barbara Morrison, Earl Palmer, Lilian Terry, and more. His recordings have featured a multicultural and international array of musicians. He has performed at festivals and venues across the USA, Japan, Canada, Mexico, France, Spain, and Italy.
Since 2017, the Pacific Northwest can claim Crosara’s talents, too. He was featured on National Public Radio performing at the 2024 KNKX 88.5 FM Studio Session series. Crosara’s trio was selected to perform at the 2021 Earshot Jazz Festival in Seattle, and his creations were featured in the trend-setting series Earshot Jazz: The Second Century (2019 and 2020) for their bold and innovative music composition and video editing work. Equally adept with acoustic and electric jazz concepts, Crosara routinely headlines trios and quartets with the area top musicians.
Crosara’s latest CD project, “Circular Motion”, released in 2024 by Origin/OA2 Records, features all original material including fresh interpretations of some of his earlier repertoire, which was composed over a period of 40 years.
"A pianist who originally hails from Italy, Crosara is well-versed in bop lore, and his delicate flow might indicate a debt to Bill Evans." - Down Beat Magazine
"Crosara’s compositions are considerate of their audience, providing a source of joy, comfort, escape, and healing. Crosara believes jazz is a collective experience and a living language that distills a multitude of identities, backgrounds, and personalities." - Earshot Jazz
JOHN STOWELL
John Stowell began his successful career in the early 1970's with private study with guitarist Linc Chamberland and pianist John Mehegan. Both men were valuable mentors to John, allowing him to play with them as he progressed in his development. Several years later he met bassist David Friesen in New York City, and they formed a duo that recorded and toured prolifically for seven years, with performances in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia.
In 1983, Stowell and Friesen joined flutist Paul Horn and Paul's son Robin Horn (on drums) for a historic tour of the Soviet Union. This was the first time in forty years that an American jazz group had been invited to play public performances in Russia. In 1993, 1995, 1998 and 2012 John returned to Russia, playing in numerous cities. His two sold-out performances in Kursk may have been the first appearances there by an American jazz musician.
Stowell continues to tour, record and teach internationally. He has been Artist-In-Residence at schools in Germany, Indonesia, Argentina, and in the United States and Canada. He served as assistant director and performer in Oregon Public Broadcasting's PDX Jazz Summit in 1991, and since 1995 has been a contributing columnist for a number of magazines, including "Downbeat", "Guitar Player", "Canadian Musician", "Soundcheck" (Germany), and "Guitar Club" (Italy).
Websites: francescojazz.com, youtube.com/c/francescocrosara & johnstowell.com
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