Dave Solazzo & The Bridge

Set times: 7:30pm & 9:30pm//

Dave Solazzo teaches jazz piano at Cornell University and has
played and recorded with jazz luminaries such as Eric Alexander,
Joe Magnarelli, Joel Frahm and Jon Gordon at venues like the
Savannah Jazz Festival, the Syracuse Jazz Fest and The Flatiron
Room in New York City.
Bassist Matthew Vacanti and drummer Bill D’Agostino comprise
the rhythm section known as “The Bridge.” They have worked
together and separately for over three decades, laying down
foundations for Joey DeFrancisco, Ron Jackson, Kevin
Mahogany, The Temptations and Martha Reeves and the
Vandellas, to name a few.
These three exceptional first call sidemen combined to become
leaders of their own, developing original compositional ideas. After
a single rehearsal, they simply booked a studio and hit
record. The three had never played together as a unit before
recording but the resulting music on Locrian Skye, the group’s
debut record, is raw, real and in the moment. It is a loose,
spontaneous collaboration that captures a uniquely original take
on the Post Bop sound.
“I think we went for it in the studio, stretching, and taking
chances,” said Solazzo. Coming from a traditional background,
Solazzo was raised on Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans and Wynton
Kelly. However, progressive jazz musicians like Ben Wendel, Brad
Mehldau and David Binney were also huge influences. “We
wanted to put some of those elements into the music — the
elasticity of time, the unconventional harmonies, the group interplay”