Gian Carlo Cervone

Pianist Gian Carlo Cervone has been performing publicly in the Rochester area for over 20 years, although his involvement with jazz music began when he was a teenager. His bluesy, straight-ahead piano style reflects an interest in the heritage of jazz going back to the early masters of the 20?s as well as the inspiration of classic performers and composers of the 40's and 50's, with a little avante-garde thrown in for good measure. His repertoire includes well- and lesser-known standards, jazz themes by the likes of Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, and Miles Davis, and his own compositions and improvisations. In addition to jazz and blues, he enjoys performing music from the Gospel tradition. Gian Carlo was accompanist and music director for Janet Beaman for nearly 20 years, and may currently be heard playing at diverse venues in New York State with his Quintet, The John Cole Blues Band, The White Hots, and other groups. In past years, he performed with his own group, The Jazz Workshop, as well as with The 52nd Street Jazz Quintet, and The Jazz Rescue Unit and has participated in numerous radio broadcasts and recording sessions.

Gian Carlo is also interested in music from the Western Tradition extending back to Medieval times, and is a member of the choir at Our Lady of Victory Church in Rochester. Having begun his tenure in July, 2008, he also is director of the Genesee Harmonic Society, a chorus that performs primarily American music from the nineteenth century, based at the Genesee Country Village and Museum in Mumford, NY.

In addition to performing, Gian Carlo is an active composer and arranger, having written and arranged works for jazz ensemble, piano, voice and piano, recorder quartet, winds, strings, organ, and other ensembles. He also teaches jazz history, theory, and performance to select students.