Simona Premazzi, a New York-based pianist, has a remarkable body of work as both a composer and a bandleader. Premazzi is originally from Italy. She was born in Milano and began playing the piano at age 8. Simona, a talented musician, is a Udine conservatory of music graduate. After finishing her Milano studies, she enrolled in the International Academy of Music, and CPM music school. She studied under the exceptional supervision of Franco D’Andrea and Massimo Colombo, two of Italy’s most respected jazz masters. She was still at school and played four years with Enrico Intra’s “Big Band”, touring throughout Italy, and playing alongside many internationally renowned musicians such as Tiziana Ghiglioni (David Raksin), Franco Cerri (Fran Cerri), Tiziana Ghiglioni (David Liebman), Eddie Daniels, Enrico Rava and Paolo Fresu. She has been praised for her ability to improvise and her skill as a composer. Her compositions have an unmistakable style that reflects her depth and creativity. She is a highly sought-after collaborator on musical projects of other artists and has proven herself an accomplished bandleader. Premazzi has performed at all the major New York jazz venues, including the Village Vanguard, as well as jazz festivals across the US and internationally. Her musical highlights include a few years of collaboration with Greg Osby 4, and with Jeremy Pelt 5,et. Among others, she has recorded, performed and collaborated with Dayna Stephens (Jeremy Pelt), Greg Osby, Melissa Aldana. Tineke Postma. Ralph Alessi. Will Vinson. Seamus Blake. Wayne Escoffery. Allen, Logan Richardson and Grant Stewart, Stacy Dillard and Billy Drummond, Victor Lewis. Ben Allison, Rick Rosato. Clovis Nicolas. Pablo Menares. Linda Oh. Jonathan Barber. Ari Hoenig. Jaleel Shaw. Jason Brown. Justin Brown. Marco Panascia. Ameen Saleem. Joe Sanders. Quincy Davis. Rodney Green. Sara Serpa. Alice Ricciardi. E.J. Rudy Royston and Johnathan Blake, Paolino Da Porta, Tony Arco, and many other fine artists. Premazzi is a great pianist and composer. Premazzi’s solos are a mix of darting and spinning, sometimes resuming mid-thought to take a new, surprising path. Her melodic spins are not distracting, but they surprise. She is inventive and always swings. [Ken Micallef – Downbeat Magazine] Simona has recorded 3 albums as a leader. A fourth one is currently in production and will be released soon. It features her latest project, a quartet featuring Dayna Stephens, Joe Martin, Nasheet Waits and Sara Serpa, along with guest trumpeter and coproducer Jeremy Pelt. The Lucid Dreamer (Inner Circle Music), her third CD, was highly reviewed by Ben Ratliff on The New York Times. It features Melissa Aldana (tenor saxophonist), Jochen Rueckert, drummer Jochen Rueckert, and Greg Osby (alto and soprano). The prestigious Japanese magazine Jazz Hihyo listed her debut album “Looking For An Exit” 2007 as a trio with Joe Sanders and Ari Hoenig. Her second album, “Inside In”, (PRE), 2010, which Simona praised greatly, features her band “The Intruders”, with Stacy Dillard playing tenor saxophone, Rudy Royston on drums, Rudy Berg on bass, and Rudy Royston as MC. Sometimes “The Intruders”, sometimes expanding to include other musicians such as Wayne Escoffery (tenor saxophonist), Dayna Stephens (trumpeter), and Josh Evans (bumper). from www.simonapremazzi.com
