CU Piano Man Plays His Way To Hollywood

While most Columbia students slogged through the unlikely snowstorm and the bleak, cold rain of the past week, rising jazz pianist, composer, and singer Peter Cincotti, CC '05, enjoyed warm California weather while doing what he loves most.

Cincotti's release of his self-titled debut album on March 11, his performances at the legendary Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, and coverage from television networks, critics, and fellow musicians have launched his promising career on an upward track that will soon take him around the globe.

Continuing with a nationwide tour that began in January, Cincotti has been stationed in Los Angeles for the past week, performing every night at Catalina's, an upscale jazz club in Hollywood. After his last performance there on Sunday, Cincotti will travel to San Francisco and continue to hit a string of cities, including his home of New York.

Although Cincotti had some experience in studios making demo tapes and recording, creating his Concord Records album with producer Phil Ramone, one of the most prolific and renowned producers in the music industry, proved to be markedly different.

"It was an amazing experience. It was incredible to have someone like Phil Ramone in the studio working with me. For a first-time recording artist, I felt very fortunate to have him," Cincotti said. "It's just really exciting to be living my dream. Phil showed me the ropes and made me comfortable at all times."

Performing at impressive venues and committing entire weeks to his musical career is not a new trend for Cincotti. But for one who, until this semester, carried a full courseload, lived in Carman and McBain Halls, and enjoyed nights with his friends at the West End, such an extensive leave from classes at Columbia is unprecedented.

After weeks of non-stop touring with his band, which consists of bassist David Finck, percussionist Kenny Washington and tenor saxophonist Scott Kreitzer, Cincotti has begun to feel the effects of the demands of touring and performing daily.

"Traveling constantly is exhausting, but everything's a give-and-take. It's tiring, but I love what I do, so you won't be hearing any complaints from me any time soon," said Cincotti.

Although Cincotti is due back in New York on April 18th and 19th to perform at The Birdland jazz club, his stay will last only a week, at which point he will continue his nationwide tour. But despite his absence from Columbia this semester, Cincotti says he is doing his best to keep his college life--both academic and social--in perspective.

"Getting an education at a place like Columbia is very important to me. I definitely plan on going back to it, but right now I'm just taking things one day at a time," said Cincotti.

Amid media tours, interviews, and performances, Cincotti has managed to keep in touch with his friends on campus.

"He cleaned out most of his stuff in the room, and I haven't seen him since his performance at the Algonquin on March 4th, but we're still in touch and we talk a lot," said John Kristan, CC '05, Cincotti's roommate since their first year on the sixth floor of Carman.

Some music critics have expressed hope that such a young, promising figure in a genre of music typically associated with bygone glory days may bring jazz to an entirely new generation of music listeners. But for one who has been deemed "prodigiously talented" and "a name to remember" by the New York Times and public figures like Regis Philbin respectively, Cincotti maintains extreme modesty. And even as fame and the tangible prospects of a landmark place in jazz history are becoming a reality for this emerging star, Cincotti's values have remained constant.

First and foremost in his life is his family. From collaborating together on songs to frequent phone calls with his mom each day, Cincotti's family has had its lasting place since before his career began.

"He's really grounded. He has not forgotten his friends, but his mom and sister are always number one in his life. They're very close and their relationship is something really special to him," said Kristan.

Cincotti said he appreciates the role his family plays in his life and in his musical career.

"I started writing when I was nine years old and my mom helped me write lyrics for the song. Since then she's been helping me with that. She's very musical and she has a beautiful voice. I trust her opinion," said Cincotti.

Cincotti collaborated with his mother and sister on several tracks on his album, including "I Changed the Rules," "Are You the One?" and "Lovers, Secrets, and Lies." Additionally, even when Cincotti is on tour, his mother and sister pay him frequent visits.

For someone who's been playing the piano since age three, performing at the age of seven, writing songs since age nine, and filling class notebooks with lyrics and musical notes that he brainstorms, Cincotti's current success has been the well-deserved result of years of discipline and development coupled with an inherent musical talent.

With a national tour still in the works and a tour in Europe scheduled for the summer, the date of Cincotti's return to Columbia has yet to be determined, but supporters can expect to continue to hear his voice and melodies on the radio, in New York City's jazz hot spots, and venues around the world.