The Roberta Piket Sextet Will Pay Tribute to the Music of Marian McPartland at Flushing Town Hall

On December 6, the Roberta Piket Sextet will pay tribute to the music of legendary jazz pianist and NPR radio host Marian McPartland, a close friend of Piket's who passed away in 2013 at the age of 95. An acclaimed pianist, organist, composer, and arranger, Piket will be joined in concert by the five-time Grammy-nominated vocalist Karrin Allyson.

A fixture in the American jazz scene, Margaret Marian McPartland was a pianist, composer, and writer, and the host, from 1978 to 2011, of Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz, which originally focused on piano players but later included vocalists like Tony Bennett, trumpeters, and other musicians.

Roberta Piket was born in Queens to Austrian composer Frederick Piket and Great American Songbook singer Cynthia Piket. She began piano studies with her father at age seven, before he passed away the following year. From her mother, Roberta learned by ear the tunes of Porter, Gershwin, Kern, Rodgers, and Berlin (as well as accompanying lyrics). In her early teens, she began learning jazz.

After graduating from New York's prestigious Hunter College High School, Piket entered a joint, double-degree program, receiving degrees in computer science from Tufts and in jazz piano from New England Conservatory. After a year working as a software engineer, she realized her heart belonged to music and returned to her native New York to continue her studies and play.

After applying for a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, she began to study under pianist Richie Beirach. Around the same time, Marian McPartland heard Piket perform as a finalist in the Thelonious Monk Composers Competition and invited her to appear as a featured guest on NPR's Piano Jazz, the first of three appearances she would make on the show. Piket considered Marian a dear friend and mentor to her and to countless other young musicians.

Recently in her work, Roberta has been moved to pay tribute to those artists she holds most dear. In addition to her December 6 concert at Flushing Town Hall featuring the music of Marian McPartland, her forthcoming CD, Domestic Harmony: Piket Plays Mintz, which releases that same day, pays tribute to the compositions of her husband and frequent collaborator, drummer Billy Mintz.

Roberta's numerous recordings through the years reveal an artist equally at home playing standards (Solo, Emanation), free improvising (Poltva, Op Der Schmelz), and composing and arranging her own music (Sides, Colors; Live at the Blue Note). For Roberta, there are no genre boundaries, only the opportunity to make exceptional music. The melding of different musical worlds in her youth resulted in Roberta's unique musical sensibilities and interests.

All About Jazz calls Roberta Piket a "subtle genius", and the Seattle Times says "a favorite of Marian McPartland, Piket is a deeply swinging, intelligent, two-fisted pianist." Her YouTube Channel includes a sneak peek into "One For Marian." In 2018, Roberta was announced winner of the the Downbeat Critics Poll Rising Star Award for Organ, also placed 16th in the Rising Star category for piano. In the 2018 Downbeat Readers' Poll, Roberta was voted 8th in the Jazz Artist category (just behind such luminaries as Pat Metheny and Tony Bennett), 7th in the Piano category (following the legendary Keith Jarrett) and 5th in the Organ category.

On December 6, Roberta Piket will be joined by Jay Brandford (flute, alto sax), Virginia Mayhew (clarinet, tenor sax), Bill Mobley (trumpet, flugelhorn), Harvie S (bass), Billy Mintz (drums), and special guest jazz vocalist Karrin Allyson to celebrate the music of jazz pianist and Marian McPartland.

Karrin Allyson is a jazz vocalist from Kansas who has been nominated for five Grammy Awards and earned considerable acclaim, with The New York Times calling her a "singer with a feline touch and impeccable intonation."

The performance starts at 8:00 PM. Tickets are $16, $10 for members and students, and free for teens, and can be purchased at www.flushingtownhall.org or by calling (718) 463-7700 x222.

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