The acclaimed jazz pianist, composer, and educator discusses his formative years in Italy, the vibrant jazz scene in the Pacific Northwest, and the rotating combos found on his excellent album, Circular Motion.

Today, the Spotlight shines on jazz pianist, composer, and educator Francesco Crosara.

Francesco was born and raised in Rome, Italy, where both jazz and classical music came into his life early on, particularly through his mother, the influential jazz singer, broadcaster, and educator Lilian Terry. Lilian presented many of the most important names in American jazz, and some—like Max Roach, Abbey Lincoln, Chick Corea, and Dizzy Gillespie—influenced young Francesco’s artistic growth.

Francesco studied classical piano, music theory, and composition at the Conservatory of Music Santa Cecilia in Rome. After three years, he transferred to the Conservatory of Frosinone to specialize in jazz harmony, composition, and improvisation. While attending USC in Los Angeles, he became a permanent member of the USC Jazz Big Band.

We spoke in early March, several weeks after Francesco’s recent album, Circular Motion, was released on Origin/OA2 Records. The record consists of all original material, including a revisiting of his compositions dating back over 40 years.

As longtime listeners will know, we’ve recorded episodes in recording studios, over Zoom, in front of live audiences, and backstage at concerts. This episode marks the first time that it was recorded at my kitchen table! Francesco lives not too far from Spotlight On World Headquarters, and he graciously stopped by to record in person.

It was a treat to sit across the table from Francesco, in person, and talk about music, pianists, and his work as an educator and mentor. Enjoy our talk.

(all musical excerpts heard in the interview are taken from Francesco Crosara’s album Circular Motion)

–

Dig Deeper

• Visit Francesco Crosara at francescojazz.com
• Purchase Francesco Crosara’s Circular Motion from Qobuz or Bandcamp, and listen on your streaming platform of choice
• Follow Francesco Crosara on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube
• Seattle Jazz Scene | documenting the Seattle Jazz community
• The Royal Room | Seattle
• Jazz Singer Lilian Terry (Francesco Crosara’s mother)
• All That Italian Jazz
• Conservatorio di Musica Santa Cecilia - Santa Cecilia - Roma
• The Adventurous Life and Career of Chick Corea
• A Night in Tunisia: story of a song
• Dizzy, Duke, Brother Ray, and Friends
• Herbie Hancock’s Jazz-Pop ‘Possibilities’
• ‘The Köln Concert’: Keith Jarrett Defied The Odds To Make A Masterpiece
• The Most Beautiful 2 Minutes of Music | Keith Jarrett
• The Story Of Return To Forever (1972 – 1978)
• Eumir Deodato - Red Bull Music Academy
• The Life of Jaco | Jaco Pastorius
• Stanley Clarke : Official Website
• Paco de Lucia, Legend of Flamenco
• Sting Re-Records His Hits: ‘They Are Not Holy Relics.’
• Seattle Jazz Vibraphonist Susan Pascal
• D’Vonne Lewis | Drums
• Origin Records Artist Xavier Lecouturier | Drums
• Clipper Anderson | Jazz Bassist
• Farko Dosumov: A Global Bass Traveler Brings It Home
• Talking with Tacoma musicians: Osama Afifi
• John Stowell | Jazz Guitarist
• Tim Lerch | Taste, Tone and Telecasters
• Gail Pettis | Jazz Vocalist
• Jazz composer/pianist/humorist | Bill Anschell
• Quincy Square in Bremerton WA
• Music Discovery Center (MDC)
• Listen: Bill Anschell and Francesco Crosara Piano Duo | KNKX

 

–

• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate Spotlight On ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
• Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of Spotlight On in your podcast app of choice.
• Looking for more? Visit spotlightonpodcast.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Spotlight On email newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Mastodon.
• Check out Spotlight On’s next live event at The Royal Room in Seattle on Saturday, June 22! More info here.

You like Spotlight On. If you also like coffee, art, clothes and more, check out our online shop. We have an ever-changing selection of some terrific limited edition collectibles. Your purchases help us do more of those things we do. Thanks.