OA2 Artist

Her composing style stays modern without ever being airless and swing-deficient, open without getting lost in harmony and sentimentality. And her soloing is special.
Ben Ratliff, The New York Times

A fearless modernist composer and improviser with a deeply lyricism at her core, New York based pianist Simona Premazzi has developed an impressive body of work as a composer and bandleader. Originally from Italy, Premazzi hails from a small town in the outskirts of Milano, where she began playing piano at age eight and a half. After obtaining master's degrees both in classical and jazz music, she moved to New York in 2004, where she earned recognition for her improvisational work and skillful approach as a composer.

Premazzi has performed in all major New York jazz venues including the historic and prestigious Village Vanguard, jazz festivals around the US, South America and abroad. Highlights of her musical path include a few years collaboration with The Greg Osby 4 and with The Jeremy Pelt 5tet. Among the many others she has performed, toured and/or recorded with: Dayna Stephens, Mark Shim, Tineke Postma, Melissa Aldana, Seamus Blake, Wayne Escoffery, Kyle Nasser, Billy Drummond, Victor Lewis, Ari Hoenig, Nasheet Waits, Clovis Nicolas and many more fine artists.

Simona has released seven critically acclaimed albums as a leader: Looking for an Exit (best trio albums of the year in Japanese magazine Jazz Hihyo 2007), Inside In (Simona Premazzi and The Intruders PRE 2010), The Lucid Dreamer (featured article in DownBeat, ICM 2013), Outspoken (best albums of the year & 4 stars in DownBeat 2017), Let Me Be Free - Live at Buffalo CMC Jazz Festival (solo piano 2018), Sound Scape SS18 (commissioned work from high-end fashion brand Loro Piana campaign 2018), and Wave in Gravity (featured article in DownBeat, 4 1/2 stars review in Stereophile, 2023).

"Premazzi, a wickedly clever soloist with a very original viewpoint." DownBeat

About her latest solo piano release, Wave in Gravity, All About Jazz says: "Swing, abstraction, and lyricism all find a place on this forty-six-minute statement. Premazzi's playing's distinguished by a highly developed technical facility, and that an advanced intelligence is in play is never in doubt."

"Ms. Premazzi's star is on the rise, as all of Outspoken attests." The New York Times

The Lucid Dreamer (Inner Circle Music 2013), highly reviewed in The New York Times by Ben Ratliff, features multi awarded tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana, bassist Ameen Saleem, drummer Jochen Rueckert and special guest Greg Osby on alto and soprano saxophones. Her debut album, Looking for an Exit (PRE 2007), a trio with Ari Hoenig on drums and Joe Sanders on bass, was listed among the best trio albums between 2004 and 2008 by the prestigious Japanese magazine, Jazz Hihyo. Her highly acclaimed second album Inside In (PRE 2010), on which Simona expands her approach to spoken words and keyboard sounds, features her band The Intruders with Stacy Dillard on tenor saxophone, bassist Ryan Berg, drummer Rudy Royston and MC rapper Baba Israel. The Intruders at times expanded to a larger ensemble hosting in rotation other musicians as tenor saxophonists Wayne Escoffery and Dayna Stephens, and trumpeter Josh Evans.

RECORDINGS FEATURING Simona Premazzi

Premazzi / Nasser Quartet

From What I Recall

OA2 Records 22239