Tommaso Perazzo Trio

Tommaso Perazzo - piano

Kanoa Mendenhall - double bass

Eliza Salem - drums

The “Tommaso Perazzo trio”, featuring Tommaso Perazzo on piano, Kanoa Mendenhall on double bass and Eliza Salem on drums, is a fresh and exciting project that brings together three talented, young musicians from the New York City jazz scene. Originally from Genova, Italy, Tommaso moved to NYC in 2019 to study at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, where he graduated in 2022. He has already performed with some of his mentors and heroes, such as Miguel Zenon (last year’s Grammy award winner) and his quartet at the Kleinhans Music Hall in Buffalo, NY, and with the Buster Williams quartet “Something More” at the Guimarães Jazz Festival in Portugal. Besides being active in the US scene, Tommaso has also played in prestigious European venues, such as the Bimhuis in Amsterdam, Umbria Jazz in Italy and Aarhus Jazz Festival in Denmark. The outstanding bassist Kanoa Mendenhall doesn’t need much introduction: she is a member of the Joel Ross’s “Good Vibes” band, one of the most appreciated new jazz ensembles in the world, and has recently performed in iconic venues such as the Village Vanguard in New York City, and several major jazz festivals globally. Both she and the other member of the “Tommaso Perazzo trio”, drummer Eliza Salem from Washington D.C. won the “Next Jazz Legacy” award in the spring of 2024 for being among the most talented female musicians; in a jazz world where women are significantly underrepresented, Tommaso’s trio stands out as a remarkable exception. Eliza, also very active in the New York jazz scene, is a very special drummer, combining her virtuosity on the instrument with a great touch and unique sensitivity, and therefore allowing the trio to experiment with a broad range of dynamics. The “Tommaso Perazzo trio” presents a repertoire of original compositions by Tommaso, written specifically for this project to enhance the musical characteristics of its members. Influences from classical music, such as the works of Sergej Rachmaninoff, can be heard. Besides respecting jazz tradition, Tommaso brings his own style and “European voice” into this project, and incorporates also modern influences such as Brad Mehldau and Louis Cole.

Tommaso Perazzo

Tommaso Perazzo (born in 1996 in Angera, Italy) started playing piano at 5 years old, showing from the very beginning a strong predilection for jazz and blues. After moving to The Netherlands for studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam (Bachelor in jazz piano), he participated in some competitions, achieving the 1st prize as best soloist at the “Keep an Eye International Jazz Award” in 2018; in the same year he also won the prestigious “Massimo Urbani International Jazz Award” in Italy, and subsequently recorded his debut album as a trio leader. Graduating in Amsterdam with top honors in June 2019, marked "10 cum Laude,” Tommaso moved to New York City for the Master in Jazz piano at the Manhattan School of Music, receiving mentorship from luminaries like Buster Williams, Phil Markowitz and Rogerio Boccato. In February 2020 Tommaso was also selected for the auditions at the "Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz" in Los Angeles, where he had the opportunity to perform in front of a jury composed by Herbie Hancock, Ambrose Akinkmusire and Herb Albert among the others. Having graduated in May 2022, Tommaso is now based in NYC. He has been sharing the stage with great musicians such as Buster Williams, Alvin Queen, Gregory Hutchinson, Miguel Zenón, Flavio Boltro, Fabrizio Bosso, and performed in prestigious venues in Europe and in the USA like the Bimhuis in Amsterdam, Torino Jazz Festival and Umbria Jazz in Italy, Moãna Jazz Festival in Spain, Guimarães Jazz in Portugal, Dizzy’s Club in New York.

Kanoa Mendenhall

Kanoa Mendenhall is a New York City-based acoustic and electric bassist. Kanoa was born in Japan, but spent most of her youth on the Monterey Peninsula in California. She began her professional career at age 13, performing in Monterey and the San Francisco Bay Area with esteemed local musicians such as Bruce Forman, Vince Lateano, and Dick Whittington. During high school, she studied with the great Bay Area bassist John Shifflett. After completing high school, Kanoa moved to New York City to begin her studies at Columbia University and the Juilliard School. She studied bass with Ben Wolfe and participated in studio classes taught by Ron Carter at Juilliard for two years. Since graduating from college in 2019, Kanoa has performed across the U.S., Europe, and Canada as a member of vibraphonist Joel Ross' Good Vibes and with saxophonist/vocalist María Grand's trio. She has performed at North Sea Jazz Festival, Umbria Jazz Festival, SFJAZZ Center, Blue Note NY, Monterey Jazz Festival, and was part of the house band of the 2020 NEA Jazz Masters Ceremony led by Terri Lyne Carrington. In 2019, through The Jazz Gallery's Mentorship Series, Kanoa was given the opportunity to learn from and perform with acclaimed drummer and bandleader Kendrick Scott for two months, and got to perform with musicians such as Dayna Stephens, Aaron Parks, Charles Altura, Marquis Hill, John Ellis, Shai Maestro, and Mike Moreno. She has worked/taught at Jazz Camp West, Stanford Jazz Workshop, and has adjudicated at the Next Generation Jazz Festival.

Eliza Salem

Eliza Salem is an in-demand drummer, educator and composer currently based in Brooklyn, New York. As a multi-faceted musician, Eliza strives to explore and reach across the many domains of creative music. Bridging deep grooves and swing, diasporic traditions, song, and colorful improvisatory spaces, Eliza strives to embody empathy, honesty, and patience in every musical and artistic context. This philosophy has allowed them to seek out, learn from, and grow alongside some of New York’s most esteemed and truthful improvisers and artists. Eliza has played in acclaimed performance spaces locally and nationally such as Lincoln Center, The Stone, Mezzrow, Smalls, Birdland Jazz Club, Roulette, 55 Bar, the Detroit Jazz Festival, the Newport Jazz Festival, SFJAZZ, the Vail Dance Festival, the Gilmore Piano Festival, and the Portland Jazz Festival, among others. Since moving to New York, Eliza has taken part in multiple national and international tours including Caroline Davis’s Alula throughout the United States and Australia which featured both Chris Tordini and Noah Garabedian on bass. Eliza also toured with the Marta Sánchez trio featuring bassist Or Bareket in India, with performances at the Spanish Embassy in New Delhi and multiple venues across and outside of the city. Currently, Eliza is a member of the band Careful in the Sun led by Maya Keren, a group that “traverses a verdant landscape of improvisation grounded in loops and songs.” The band has had the opportunity to perform at the NYC Winter Jazz Fest, the Center for Remembering and Sharing, Public Records, and toured across the East Coast in the spring of 2024. Eliza received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Jazz Studies from the University of Michigan in 2021 where they studied and worked closely with Michael Gould, Sean Dobbins, Robert Hurst, Ellen Rowe, Marion Hayden and Andy Milne. Eliza is also an alumnus of the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, a selective program focused on composition led by Rufus Reid, Steve Wilson, and Billy Childs.

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