Quick Facts
PiscesBiography
Joseph Dominick Calderazzo (born February 27, 1965) is a jazz pianist and brother of musician Gene Calderazzo. He played extensively in bands led by Michael Brecker and Branford Marsalis, and has also led his own bands.
Early life
Calderazzo was born in New Rochelle, New York. He began studying classical piano at age eight. His brother, Gene, got him interested in jazz. He studied with Richard Beirach and in the 1980s continued his studies at Berklee College of Music and the Manhattan School of Music. At the same time, he was playing professionally with David Liebman and Frank Foster.
Later life and career
At a music clinic he met saxophonist Michael Brecker and became part of his quintet beginning in 1987. In 1990, he signed with Blue Note Records. Brecker produced Calderazzo's first album, In the Door, which featured Jerry Bergonzi and Branford Marsalis, his brother's roommate in Boston. They played on his second album, To Know One, which included Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette.
Calderazzo appeared on Brecker's albums Tales from the Hudson and Two Blocks from the Edge as pianist and composer. He played keyboard in Marsalis's Buckshot LeFonque and contributed to his album Music Evolution. When pianist Kenny Kirkland died in 1998, Calderazzo assumed his place in the Branford Marsalis Quartet. In 1999 he recorded Joey Calderazzo with John Patitucci and Jeff 'Tain' Watts. He played on Marsalis's albums Contemporary Jazz, Footsteps of Our Fathers, Romare Bearden Revealed, Eternal and on the DVD Coltrane's 'A Love Supreme' Live in Amsterdam. Calderazzo's composition "Hope" appears on Braggtown.
He was one of the first musicians to sign with Marsalis Music, owned by Branford Marsalis. Haiku, his first solo album, appeared in 2002. His album Amanacer featured singer Claudia Acuña and guitarist Romero Lubambo. In 2011, he and Marsalis formed a duo and recorded Songs of Mirth and Melancholy.
Calderazzo developed cubital tunnel syndrome in 2017, resulting in numbness in two fingers of his right hand. Following surgery and rest, he was able to return to playing as before.
Discography
As leader/co-leader
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | In the Door | Blue Note | With Branford Marsalis (soprano sax, tenor sax), Jerry Bergonzi and Michael Brecker (tenor sax), Jay Anderson (bass), Peter Erskine and Adam Nussbaum (drums), Don Alias (percussion) |
| 1991 | To Know One | Blue Note | With Branford Marsalis (soprano sax, tenor sax), Jerry Bergonzi (tenor sax), Dave Holland (bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums) |
| 1993? | The Traveler | Blue Note | Trio, with John Patitucci and Jay Anderson (bass; separately); Peter Erskine and Jeff Hirshfield (drums; separately) |
| 1995? | Secrets | AudioQuest | With various, from trio to octet |
| 1996? | Our Standards | Gowi | |
| 1997? | Simply Music | Lost Chart | Trio, with Sylvain Gagnon (bass), Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums) |
| 1999 | Joey Calderazzo | Columbia/Sony Music | Trio, with John Patitucci (bass), Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums) |
| 2002 | Haiku | Marsalis Music | Solo piano |
| 2006 | Amanecer | Marsalis Music | Most tracks solo piano; one track duo with Romero Lubambo (guitar); one track duo with Claudia Acuña (vocals); two tracks trio, with Lubambo and Acuña |
| 2011? | Songs of Mirth & Melancholy | EmArcy/Marsalis Music | Duo, co-led with Branford Marsalis (saxes) |
| 2011 | Live | Sunnyside | Trio, with Orlando le Fleming (bass), Donald Edwards (drums); in concert |
| 2015? | Going Home | Sunnyside | One track piano solo; most tracks trio, with Orlando le Fleming (bass), Adam Cruz (drums); one track quartet, with Branford Marsalis (tenor sax) added |
| 2017 | Live from The Cotton Club, Tokyo, Volume I | Dot Time | Trio, with Orlando le Fleming (bass), Donald Edwards (drums); in concert |
Main source:
As sideman
| Year recorded | Leader | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990? | Michael Brecker | Now You See It… (Now You Don't) | GRP |
| 1996 | Jerry Bergonzi | Fast Company | Blue Jackel |
| 1996 | Michael Brecker | Tales from the Hudson | Impulse! |
| 1998 | Michael Brecker | Two Blocks from the Edge | Impulse! |
| 1999 | Branford Marsalis | Contemporary Jazz | Sony Music |
| 2001 | Branford Marsalis | Footsteps of Our Fathers | Marsalis Music |
| 2001–2002 | Jeff "Tain" Watts | Bar Talk | Columbia |
| 2003 | Branford Marsalis | Romare Bearden Revealed | Marsalis Music |
| 2003? | Branford Marsalis | A Love Supreme: Live in Amsterdam | Marsalis Music |
| 2003 | Branford Marsalis | Eternal | Marsalis Music |
| 2010? | Håkan Broström | Refraction | Art of Life |
| 2011 | Branford Marsalis | Four MFs Playin' Tunes | Marsalis Music |
| 2016? | Branford Marsalis | Upward Spiral | OKeh |
| 2018? | Kurt Elling | The Questions | OKeh |
| 2018? | Branford Marsalis | The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul | OKeh |