"An extremely talented young pianist. I predict shell go far
as a jazz pianist and composer." - Marian McPartland
In the time since pianist/composer Roberta Piket returned to her native New York, the New England Conservatory graduate has played professionally as a sidewoman with David Liebman, Rufus Reid, Michael Formanek, Lionel Hampton, Mickey Roker, Billy Mintz, Harvey Wainapel, Eliot Zigmund, Benny Golson and the BMI/NY Jazz Orchestra and has twice been a featured guest on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz, on National Public Radio. It is in her work as a composer and bandleader, however, that the depth of Roberta's talent becomes most evident.
Roberta, who holds a B.S. in Computer Science which she earned concurrently with her music degree, turned away from a future as a software engineer after a year in that field to pursue an inevitable path in creative music. A gifted composer, Roberta placed second in the first annual Thelonious Monk BMI Composers' Competition.
Recently, Roberta played solo and in duo with Marian McPartland in concert at the Eastman School of Music. In addition to her solo piano activities, Roberta currently expresses her unique musical voice through two intriguing projects: The Roberta Piket Trio and Alternating Current.
Roberta's trio has toured Japan (performing twelve nights at the Blue Note Club in Fukuoka) as well as the U.S. Roberta has also performed her music at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and all over New York, including the Texaco-New York Jazz Festival, Smalls, the Blue Note Club, Birdland and the Knitting Factory.
Robertas CDs frequently make the best of lists of the major jazz magazines. Whether performing her original compositions or highly personalized reworkings of standards, Robertas daring rhythmic modulations and vast harmonic expansiveness set a new standard for the piano trio. September of Tears, released in Japan, finds Roberta joining forces with Rufus Reid and Billy Hart for an adventurous program of originals and reworked standards. An upcoming release features the virtuosic gifts of Roberta's new trio: bassist Ratzo Harris and drummer Billy Mintz.
Roberta's electric band, Alternating Current, boasts a retro-futurist vibe, according to the Village Voice. Exploring a new sonic palette with a vintage Wurlitzer electric piano and some tastefully chosen effects pedals, Roberta brings her harmonically adventurous sensibility and serpentine lines to a supremely grooving experimental quartet. The group has toured six states and performed in several festivals since its inception.
Roberta maintains an active schedule as an educator. She has held master classes at the Eastman School of Music, Rutgers University, Cal Arts, Duke University, Northwestern University, and many others in the U.S., Europe and Japan. She has coached ensembles at Long Island University, has several private students, has served as a panelist for the Queens Council on the Arts grant review process and has taught at the Litchfield Jazz Camp and the Vermont Jazz Center.
Last summer Roberta Five Poems by Nabokov premiered at Lotus Music and Dance to an enthusiastic audience. The music, for piano, violin, mezzo-soprano and speaker, blends neo-classical harmonic concepts with lush melodies and free improvisational sections to stunning effect.
In May of 2004 Roberta attended a residency program at the Atlantic Center for the Arts and formed the new music trio Fragments with Eric km Clarke and Scott Hill. In addition to her piano trio, she plays in a free improvisation trio with drummer Billy Mintz and alto saxophonist Mark Reboul, does organ and piano gigs around New York, and also occasionally sings and plays standards at senior citizen homes in the New York City area.
For detailed info, including more sound samples high-resolution photos, downloads and more, visit robertajazz.com.
Hey I'm really digging your jazz jive - I'm a massive fan of Marian McPartland also so as very jealous you met and performed with her... Re your advise; if you have any facebook tips let me know as it took me over 3 hours to invite poeple to an event via my artist (not personal) page and my sending it to emails of people not on facebook failed altogether...
Hi Roberta! Great meeting up with you here! Let me know when you guys are going to be back in L.A.; I would love to finally make it to a performance! (Thanks for giving Dave my regards; it's been a while.) Also HI to Billy!
Hi Roberta, I enjoy following your blog and as you already know your music too. I just demanded you in Hamburg. Is 1 person demanding enough ;-) ? Yours, Jan
Hi Roberta, Thanks for your comments! Hopefully we had our gig in Ternopol not Chernobyl :) and everything was OK. It's a pity that we didn't hear your music this time in Poland/Ukraine but still hope to do this soon ;)... All the best,
hi roberta, thank's for taking me on board of your "(my) s p a c e (friend) s h i p" wish you were in berlin so i could record you in my studio. love & peace wolf
