ST. BONAVENTURE — The Konrad Paszkudski Jazz Trio will perform works from The Great American Songbook at 7:30 p.m. on March 11 at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at St. Bonaventure University.
This is the sixth concert of the 2021-2022 season of Les Amis de la bonne musique performances.
Although he was raised in Western Australia by Polish parents, Paszkudski’s musical affinity and passion for American jazz was revealed early on. He was accepted to college at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Perth at the age of 15, studying jazz piano and completing his undergraduate degree just weeks after turning 19.
The precocious instrumentalist quickly established a reputation as a leading jazz player in Australia, playing with his mentor, jazz trumpeter James Morrison.
He moved to the United States, earning his master’s degree in 2011 from the University of Miami at the age of 22. After graduating, he spent a year in Los Angeles playing piano with artists like the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and the Jeff Trio Hamilton.
Paszkudski returned to the East Coast in 2012 after accepting an offer to lead house trio at coveted New York venue 54 Below. He joined the John Pizzarelli Quartet in November 2013, leading to over 1,000 performances worldwide over the next four years.
He formed his own trio with Pasquale Grasso, guitar, and Dylan Shamat, bass, and in 2016 started working for Venus Records in Japan. Between 2016 and 2017, the Konrad Paszkudzki Trio recorded seven albums for the label.
In addition to touring and recording, in 2017 Paszkudski began his role as Artistic Director of The Ballroom, an organization committed to bringing the highest caliber of American swing jazz to the West Coast.
The trio focuses on standards – tunes known collectively as The Great American Songbook. Without imposing mundane gimmicks or relying on overt displays of flash and technical wizardry, the trio stay true to the original musical and lyrical content of the material, emphasizing melodic elegance and swinging verve.
The influence of Nelson Riddle, Oscar Peterson, Erroll Garner and Ahmad Jamal can be felt and heard, but never blatantly imitated.
This concert is made possible by funds from the Statewide Community Regrant Program, a granting program of the New York State Council on the Arts, with support from the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by the ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes.
Given the fluid nature of COVID-19 protocols, please check SBU’s COVID-19 website for the university’s latest policy for visitors to campus, including ticket holders for Quick Center performances, or call the Quick Center at (716) 375-2494.
The price of a single ticket for this concert is $20 full price, $16 for seniors and Saint-Bonaventure employees and $5 for students. For tickets and information, call the Quick Center at (716) 375-2494.
For each Friends of Good Music performance, The Quick Center will open its galleries one hour prior to the performance and keep them open throughout intermission. The gallery’s normal hours of operation are noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
