For Piano Lovers: Stride, Swing, Ragtime, Boogie Woogie

Stephanie and Paolo met at a piano festival in Boswil (near Zürich), Switzerland, in 2008 and started to collaborate on a four-hands piano project dedicated to classic jazz, preparing arrangements of songs from the swing era, as well as drawing from the ragtime and blues repertoire. Following the 2012 release of their first album, Two for One, they have been invited to many festivals and events in the United States, Europe, and Japan. Their second CD, Sentimental Journey (2014), shows their commitment to the formula of four-hands duets on one piano, rarely used in jazz. They recently released two new recordings, Double Trio Live 2015, and Double Trio Always (2016), with the classic jazz trio setting (piano, bass, and drums), but with two pianists instead of one.

Stephanie Trick, born in San Francisco and raised in St. Louis, is considered to be the “rising star” of Harlem Stride Piano. She graduated with a Bachelors of Art in Music from the University of Chicago and participates in the most important ragtime, boogie woogie and swing festivals in the United States and Europe.

Paolo Alderighi was born in Milan, Italy. He earned a degree in Piano Performance from the G. Verdi Conservatory of Milan in 2000, and a degree in Economics for Arts, Culture and Media from Bocconi University in 2005. Since 1996 he has performed all over Europe, the United States, and Japan, collaborating with the best interpreters of mainstream and classic jazz.

In this concert, they will alternate four-hands piano duets with solos and play selections from the swing, stride, ragtime, and blues repertoire.

“I love to hear Stephanie and Paolo together. They are an inspiration. Such sympatico! Such back-and-forth! Individually they are marvelous musicians—we’ve known that, but together they play 4-handed stride as it’s never been done. Brava, bravo!”

– Dick Hyman

“Stephanie and Paolo revel in a gorgeous lightness of being on a beautiful assortment of songs, tempos, and approaches…”

– Michael Steinman