Wednesday, May 20 at 7:30pm
Fulton Street Collective, Chicago IL
Free concert, with regitration.
Pianist and composer Francesco Cavestri, one of the most compelling voices of the new Italian and European jazz generation, presents a solo piano concert, one of the most intimate and revealing forms of his musical language. Alone at the 88 keys, Cavestri opens a direct dialogue with the audience, moving through musical territories that blend jazz lyricism, contemporary experimentation, and narrative emotion.
A Steinway Artist, Cavestri has developed a sonic path shaped by unexpected encounters: fragments of John Coltrane intertwine with the architectural soundscapes of Radiohead, while the electronic textures of Massive Attack find new acoustic resonances. A striking juxtaposition between Everything in Its Right Place and Naima leads the audience through two distant worlds that meet on common ground through his hands.
A particularly meaningful moment of the Chicago concert is the tribute to Herbie Hancock, the legendary jazz pianist born in Chicago, and to Miles Davis, also born in Illinois, whose birth centenary will be celebrated in 2026.
Alongside these tributes, Cavestri’s original compositions emerge in their most essential and unguarded form. The solo piano setting offers a preview of new works from his upcoming album NOÈ, to be released in May 2026 by Universal Music Italia. The compositions of NOÈ bring tradition and the present into dialogue, weaving together contemporary jazz, hip-hop influences, and a strong narrative dimension, in a constant interplay between composition and improvisation.
The project is driven by the intention to keep jazz alive and contemporary, presenting it in its most hybrid and open form, shaped by cross-pollinations with hip hop, film music, and art rock. Souvenir di un Bacio draws from a cinematic imagination, Un Respiro unfolds as a hypnotic and meditative mantra, while Entropia pulses with a distinctly contemporary energy.
A solo piano journey that builds subtle bridges between Italy and the United States, memory and future, tradition and vision-fragments that come together to reveal the unique voice of Francesco Cavestri.