Roberta Piket Trio: Love and Beauty
Pianist Roberta Piket’s 2007 release Love and Beauty takes the piano trio format to new and exquisite heights. Supported with interactive simpatico by bassist Ratzo Harris and drummer Billy Mintz, Piket soars through a program of engaging originals and standards that clearly defines her as one of the best jazz pianists of her generation. The recording offers a heart-rending version of Cole Porter’s “So In Love”, an adventurous polymetric arrangement of The Fifth Dimension’s “Up, Up and Away” that has become a “special request” among the trio’s fans, and Roberta’s vocal debut on the haunting Billy Mintz original “Destiny” featuring guest Rich Perry on tenor saxophone.
The Roberta Piket Trio sets a new standard for modern piano jazz. Every performance is full of spontaneity, intensity and creativity. The trio, which played together for three years before this recording, recorded Love and Beauty following a three-week tour of the West Coast. The interplay between the three members is extraordinary.