| Jazz |
Summary : Jazz pianist Joe De Gregorio delivers an ambitious transatlantic trilogy recorded in New York City, Los Angeles, and Paris, blending European sensitivity with American jazz tradition alongside Ron Carter and Peter Erskine in a refined, modern take on the genre.
A Transatlantic Jazz Journey: Joe De Gregorio’s Three-City Statement
Months before its release, Joe De Gregorio offered a glimpse of what would become one of his most ambitious undertakings to date. Speaking with quiet clarity during our conversation, he described a project already taking shape across continents and sensibilities:
“I am currently preparing my next recording session, which will take place in Los Angeles with the legendary drummer Peter Erskine. I would describe this new project as a tribute to one of my favorite sonic landscapes: that of ECM Records, its austere, atmospheric aesthetic. In that spirit, the album will feature original compositions I wrote while living in Gothenburg, pieces inspired by the deeply transformative experience of immersing myself fully in the world of Northern European jazz and its distinctive musical sensibility.”
The full conversation remains available HERE.
What has since emerged not only meets those early expectations but expands them. Anticipation was inevitable. De Gregorio is not an artist inclined toward half measures, and this project, conceived as a sweeping musical “postcard” between the United States and Europe, carries the imprint of that devotion. Recorded over the span of a single year in New York City, Los Angeles, and Paris, the trilogy unfolds as a carefully structured artistic statement rather than a loose succession of releases.
It maps a journey through the roots, evolution, and global language of jazz, unfolding in dialogue with some of the genre’s most influential contemporary figures, notably Ron Carter and Peter Erskine. At its center lies a question that has long animated the form: how can jazz remain faithful to its origins while speaking authentically to a modern, global audience?
The answer, here, is a resounding yes, though not in the way one might expect.
Rather than leaning on nostalgia, the project moves toward reinvention through restraint. There is no imitation, no forced homage. Instead, De Gregorio allows his compositional voice to carry the argument, relying on nuance, structure, and atmosphere. The result is a first installment that resonates with quiet authority. Subtle echoes of Miles Davis surface almost imperceptibly, woven into a rendition of Georgia on My Mind with an elegance that never calls attention to itself. With musicians of the caliber of Ron Carter and Peter Erskine, excellence is a given. What proves more compelling is the sense of cohesion, of listening as much as playing—that shapes the record’s emotional core.
What drives this trilogy, ultimately, is not only geography but identity.
Each chapter is anchored in a city intrinsically tied to its musical spirit: the historical gravity of New York, the creative openness of Los Angeles, and the lyrical intimacy of Paris. These are not mere backdrops but active participants in the project’s conceptual framework. The first chapter, In Blues (For Blues’ Sake), returns to the emotional source of jazz. It does so without sentimentality.
Recorded between the legendary Van Gelder Studio, where De Gregorio entered into an intimate musical dialogue with Ron Carter, and Peter Erskine’s personal studio in Santa Monica, the album treats the blues both as a structural framework and as a guiding compass. It balances historical resonance with a sense of living, breathing spontaneity.
Driven by a deep reverence for jazz history and an equally vital engagement with its present, De Gregorio delivers a collection of instrumental pieces marked by remarkable refinement. At times, their delicacy evokes the tonal precision of Maurice Ravel. Yet the album resists any single lineage. It shifts. It breathes.
He sings, too, occasionally in Italian, adding an unexpected layer of intimacy. Each track is treated with care, its textures unfolding gradually rather than asserting themselves. This is a jazz of multiple colors, one that invites close listening. Poetry is not simply an undercurrent here; it is an intention, fully realized.
For some listeners, the album’s restraint may feel almost elusive at first. It does not seek to dazzle in obvious ways. But that is precisely its strength. Rather than projecting outward, it draws the listener inward, rewarding attention over time.
Like many European musicians who have made their way to the United States, De Gregorio brings with him a perspective shaped by both distance and immersion. His understanding of jazz evolves not as an abstraction but as lived experience. When that sensibility meets the deeply rooted traditions embodied by American collaborators, the result is neither contrast nor compromise, but exchange, an accumulation of musical encounters that unfold with quiet inevitability.
The effect is immersive. The listener is not overwhelmed but enveloped.
One is left, ultimately, with a sense of anticipation, not only for the next chapters of the trilogy but for the life this music may take beyond the studio. If this trio carries its work onto stages around the world, as one hopes it will, it may well offer audiences something increasingly rare: a jazz that does not merely travel across cultures, but meaningfully connects them.
A rare and convincing synthesis of transatlantic jazz identity.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, April 16th 2026
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Musicians :
In Blues (For Blues Sake)
Ron Carter | Bass
Peter Erskine | Drums
Joe De Gregorio | Piano
Crossover
Joe De Gregorio | Piano & Vocals
Ike Sturm | Bass
Peter Erskin | Drums
Crooner’s Journey
Joe De Gregorio | Piano & Vocals
Géraldine Laurent | Alto Sax
Louis Moutin | Drums
Stéphane Kereck | Bass
Karine Fôret | Vocals
Track Listing
- Someday My Prince Will Come (Frank Churchill)
- Une belle histoire (Michel Fugain)
- New Orleans Blues (Joe De Gregorio)
- Georgia on my mind (Hoagy Carmichael)
- Sunset in Gothenburg (Joe De Gregorio)
- Volare (nel blue dipinto di blu) (Domenico Modugno)
- Yesterday (The Beatles)
- Blanco (Joe De Gregorio)
- Blues Italiano (Joe De Gregorio)
- Eu sei que vou te amar (Tom Jobim)
- You must Believe in Spring (Michel Legrand)
- My Way (Paul Anka)
Background info / Liner Notes:
Album 1 – In Blues (For Blues Sake)
Rec Studio (Piano & bass only): Van Gelder recording studio (Englewood NJ)
Musicians: Ron Carter, Peter Erskine, Joe De Gregorio (piano)
Dates: Feb 27th 2025 (Ron & Joe)
Drums were recorded at PUC (Peter Erskine home studio – Santa Monica LA)
Album 2 – Crossover
Studio: PUCK (Peter Erskine home studio – Santa Monica LA)
Musicians: Peter Erskine, Ike Sturm (bass), Joe De Gregorio (piano & vocals); String quartet players: (First violin) Gallia Kastner, (Second violin) Myra Choo, (Viola) Rita Andrade, (Cello) Caleb Vaughn-Jones; Daniele Truocchio (arrangements-conducting)
Dates: October 6th & 7th 2025 strings were recorded at Daniele Truocchio’s house in Montebello (LA) on Oct 9th 2025
Album 3 – Crooner’s Journey
Studio: Bobcity Rec Studio, Paris
Musicians: Joe De Gregorio (piano & vocals), Géraldine Laurent (alto sax), Louis Moutin (drums), Stéphane Kerecki (bass); Karine Fôret (vocals);
Dates: Dec 28th & 29th (2025)