Nicki Parrott & Rossano Sportiello Internationally-acclaimed piano & bass/vocal duo from New York City swing into the intimate setting of BLU for an evening of straight-ahead jazz & Great American Songbook classics!

Australian native bassist and vocalist, Nicki Parrott, moved to New York City in 1994 to study with the legendary Rufus Reid and hasn’t looked back. In June 2000, Nicki began performing on Monday nights at the Iridium Jazz Club with the legendary guitarist and inventor, Les Paul. As part of the Les Paul Trio, Nicki worked side-by-side with guitar greats from Paul McCartney, Slash, Steve Miller to fellow Aussie, Tommy Emmanuel.
 
Since then she has performed with such notable musicians as Michel Legrand, Joe Wilder, Randy Brecker, Clark Terry, Jose Feliciano, Bucky Pizzarelli, John Pizzarelli, Dick Hyman, Patti Labelle & the New York Pops Orchestra, Harry Allen, Warren Vache, Marlena Shaw, David Krakauer, Ken Peplowski, Ann Hampton Callaway, Bill Mays, Scott Hamilton, Lillian Boutte, Larry Carlton and Houston Person, to name a few.
 

“She [Parrott] has that special gift you cannot buy in a music store…”
– Les Paul

 
Some of Nicki’s most notable collaborations have been with Italian pianist extraordinaire, Rossano Sportiello, of whom she has performed with countless times in live & studio settings, with two albums as a duet: “People Will Say We’re in Love” (Arbor Records, 2007) and “Do It Again” (Arbor Records, 2009).
 
Rossano has performed with many of the world’s finest jazz luminaries, such as Slide Hampton, Gerry Mulligan, Bucky Pizzarelli, Dick Hyman, Houston Person, Dado Moroni, Eddie Locke, Dan Barrett, Harry Allen, Scott Robinson, Carl Fontana, Rebecca Kilgore, Reggie Johnson, Scott Hamilton, Bob Wilber, Kenny Davern, Warren Vache, Ken Peplowski, Butch Miles, Jake Hanna, Johnny Frigo and many others. He performs throughout Europe and highlighted concerts include the 2006 “International Stride Piano Summit” in Germany with Dick Hyman, Chris Hopkins and Bernd Lhotzky, as well as performances at the Ascona Jazz Festival, in Switzerland and the Nairn Festival in Scotland. He teaches jazz piano at the “Civici Corsi di Jazz di Milano” and has been an instructor at that institution since 1998. He has been in great demand in the U.S. appearing at New York venues, such as Lincoln Center, the Blue Note, Birdland, Feinstein’s, the 92nd Street Y, Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, the Café Carlyle and Town Hall, as well as at main jazz parties and festivals.
 

“Their interplay is consistently bright, intelligent and engaging……”
– JazzTimes Magazine

 
Join us as at BLU Jazz+ as we present two of the Big Apple’s most sought-after musicians in an intimate duo performance of hard-swingin’ live jazz!
 

About Nicki Parrott

Born in Newcastle, Australia, Nicki started her musical training at age four with the piano, followed by the flute, soon after. Nicki switched to double bass at the age of 15.
 
After graduating high school she moved to Sydney to study jazz at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music where she began to play with Australian musicians such as Mike Nock, Dale Barlow, Paul Grabowsky, Bernie McGann, and Ten Part Invention. She also toured Australia with Russian musicians Daniel Kramer and Alexander Fischer and American trumpeters Bobby Shew and Chuck Findley. She continued her studies with various bassists including visiting artists Ray Brown and John Clayton.
 
Nicki was the recipient of two awards, a scholarship to Pan Pacific Music Camps at the age of 16, and first place in the 1992 Jazz Action Society’s Annual Song Competition for her composition “Come and Get It”, which is the opening track of Nicki and her sister Lisa’s debut CD, “Awabakal Suite”. She was also nominated for the annual Australian Young Achievers Award by the Arts Council of Australia who granted her the funds to come to New York to study with Rufus Reid. Nicki came to New York in May 1994.
 
In June 2000, Nicki began performing on Monday nights at the Iridium Jazz Club with the legendary guitarist and inventor, Les Paul. As part of the Les Paul Trio, Nicki worked side-by-side with guitar greats from Paul McCartney, Slash, Steve Miller to fellow Aussie, Tommy Emmanuel.
 
Since then she has performed with such notable musicians as Michel Legrand, Joe Wilder, Randy Brecker, Clark Terry, Jose Feliciano, Bucky Pizzarelli, John Pizzarelli, Dick Hyman, Patti Labelle & the New York Pops Orchestra, Harry Allen, Warren Vache, Marlena Shaw, David Krakauer, Ken Peplowski, Ann Hampton Callaway, Bill Mays, Scott Hamilton, Lillian Boutte, Larry Carlton and Houston Person, to name a few.
 
In 2007 and 2008, Nicki received back to back honors for Swing Journal’s Best Jazz Vocal Album (“Moon River” and “Fly Me to The Moon”, respectively).
 
In 2010 her album Black Coffee (Venus) received Swing Journal’s Gold Disc award.
 
In 2012, Nicki headlined the Fujitsu Concorde Jazz festival after the release of her eighth CD from Venus Records, “Sakura Sakura”.
 
Nicki has performed at most major festivals around the globe including the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Jazz in July at the 92nd Street Y, Litchfield Jazz Festival, Detroit Jazz Festival, the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival and the Newport Beach Jazz Party, Jazz Ascona and Bern Jazz Festival in Switzerland and many others.
 
Nicki has also performed in several Broadway shows such as “Avenue Q”, “Imaginary Friends”, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”, “Summer of ’42” and “Jekyll and Hyde” and has made several television and documentary appearances including “The Gossip Girls”, “Chasing Sound” and “Thank You Les”, which recently debuted on PBS.
 

About Rossano Sportiello

Award-winning jazz pianist Rossano Sportiello was born in Vigevano, Italy on 1 June 1974. He began studying piano at the age of 9 under the tutelage of Italian classical pianist Carlo Villa and continued until his graduation in classical piano from the Conservatory in 1996. At 16, he was performing professionally at jazz venues in the Milan area, and in 1992, he joined one of Europe’s historic jazz bands, the “Milano Jazz Gang” touring with the group throughout Italy and West Europe until the end of 2000. That same year, Rossano met legendary jazz pianist and educator, Barry Harris, who became a mentor and good friend. Mr. Harris has touted Rossano as “the best stride piano player” he has ever heard.
 
Stylistically, although international critics consider Rossano a follower of Ralph Sutton, Dave McKenna and Barry Harris, the influence of other great masters can be heard in his playing, such as Fats Waller, Teddy Wilson, Art Tatum, Count Basie, Earl Hines, Ellis Larkins and Bill Evans, to name a few. Rossano was introduced as a soloist by trombonist/arranger Dan Barrett and drew international acclaim at the 2002 Ascona Jazz Festival (Switzerland) while performing with the eight-piece, all-star American band led by Barrett, which was enthusiastically received. Rossano has performed several times at Ascona since and standing ovations after his performances are not uncommon. At the 25th anniversary of the festival, he received the 2009 Ascona Jazz Award in recognition of his expertise and mastery of jazz piano, in particular stride piano. Rossano made his first trip to the United States and was introduced to the American audience at the invitation of the late Mat Domber (Arbors Records) to perform at the 2003 “March of Jazz” party in Clearwater Beach, Florida. Following his marriage to American writer, Lala Moore, in 2007, Rossano established himself in New York City.
 
Rossano has performed with many of the world’s finest jazz luminaries, such as Slide Hampton, Clark Terry, Barry Harris, Dan Barrett, Kenny Davern, Bucky Pizzarelli, Bob Wilber, Warren Vache, Bob Cranshaw, Mickey Roker, Harry Allen, Howard Alden, Joe Wilder, Eddie Locke, Joe La Barbera, Scott Hamilton, Jake Hanna, Houston Person, Bill Charlap, Dick Hyman. He has been in great demand in the U.S. appearing at New York venues, such as Lincoln Center, the Blue Note, Birdland, Feinstein’s, the 92nd Street Y, Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, the Café Carlyle and Town Hall, as well as at main jazz parties and festivals, including the San Diego Jazz Party, Chautauqua Jazz Festival, North Carolina Jazz Party, Rochester Jazz Festival, Odessa Jazz Party, Newport Beach Jazz Party, Arbors Records Invitational Jazz Piano Party, Rocky Mountains Jazz Party and the Roswell Jazz Festival. Internationally, Rossano has performed in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and in acclaimed festivals and venues such as the Norwich Jazz Party, Nairn International Jazz Festival, Edinburgh Jazz Festival, Spoleto Piano Festival, Lucerne Piano Festival, the Philarmonie (Luxembourg), Teatro Alla Scala (Milan), Teatro dell’Opera (Rome), Marians Jazz Room (Switzerland), Lionel Hampton Jazz Club (Paris), Blue Note (Milan ), Printzregentertheatre (Munchen-Germany) and Schloss Elmau (Germany), to name a few. Since 2008, Rossano has performed regularly with the Harry Allen Quartet. For his performances, see the touring page.
 
On 4 May 2011, in his home town of Vigevano, Italy, Rossano received the prestigious Vittorio Ramella award, bestowed upon native persons of Vigevano who through their profession have made a significant contribution to the world and distinguished themselves in the international community. As an educator, Rossano has given lectures on jazz and/or masterclasses on piano at institutions such as the University of Toronto Jazz Studies, University of Central Florida and Claremont College (California). Most recently, in May 2013, in addition to a concert at the Master’s Lodge of St. John’s College, Cambridge, UK, he lectured there as “professor in residence”.
 
Rossano has recorded four solo piano CDs, including In the Dark (2004, Sackville); Piano On My Mind (2005, Jazz Connaisseur), which won the “Prix Du Jazz Classique de l’Académie du Jazz de France”; Heart and Soul (2006, Arbors Records), selected by the French magazine Jazz Classique among the top 10 of the year; and It Amazes Me (2009, Sackville); and two duet CDs with bassist/singer Nicki Parrott on Arbors Records, Do It Again (2009) and People Will Say We’re In Love (2007), which was selected by The New Yorker magazine as one of the top 10 jazz CDs of 2007. Rossano also has three jazz CDs featuring classical music, Chopin in Jazz (2010), Schubert in Jazz (2011) and Listz in Jazz (2011) on the SwingBros label. The Rossano Sportiello Trio (Frank Tate and Dennis Mackrel) recorded Lucky to Be Me, (2010, Arbors Records).
 
Photo by Brian Wittman.

$25