Pianist Dave Solazzo | Featured Artist Series
“I was feeling burned out, in a creative rut. I'd had the good fortune of being in excellent bands over the years… but I never had my own project. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. Always a sideman, never a bandleader. I had a vision for the music, certain concepts I wanted to explore that couldn't be done as a sideman. Mid-life angst was creeping up on me. I felt like the walls were closing in. Matt proposed a remedy - making a record together. And thus the project was born.”
Dave Solazzo - Birth of “The Bridge”
Featured Artist Series
Dave Solazzo| Pianist
This Friday at 7pm, Hamilton Winter Jazz Fest welcomes Dave Solazzo & The Bridge for a live performance and premiere screening of the 1921 silent film Now or Never, starring Harold Lloyd. The live jazz trio will perform an original score in real time, blending film, improvisation, and storytelling into an immersive experience.
Dave’s connection to Arts At The Palace stretches back many years. He has performed here in a variety of groups, including one of the first concerts after the building’s renovation, a night he vividly remembers, with fresh paint on the walls and construction still visibly underway. Over the years, it has remained a meaningful space for him. “It is a valuable asset for arts and culture in Hamilton,” he says. “We are lucky to have her.”
The trio, Dave Solazzo & The Bridge, is grounded in collaboration and trust. For more than two decades, Dave has worked across jazz, fusion, R&B, and beyond, moving fluidly between roles as soloist and accompanist. Each genre carries its own language - harmonically, melodically, rhythmically - “but it’s fun to push the boundaries, to see what you can get away with in the context of the genre,” he says. “If you’re improvising, there’s always room for creativity. You always have room to insert your voice into the music.” That spirit of cross-pollination keeps the music fresh.
Much of his career has been spent supporting other artists, a role he loves. “Collaborating is about helping other artists implement their vision,” he explains. “There is room to inject your personality, of course, but ultimately you’re in a supportive role.” Stepping into leadership with The Bridge came with a full plate of responsibility - selecting and arranging material, writing music, booking gigs, and making travel arrangements - but it also brought total freedom and complete control of the creative vision.
Dave’s own musical story began in Syracuse. Raised in a home filled with music, he started classical piano lessons at seven. His father, a jazz bassist and elementary instrumental music teacher, introduced him to jazz through recordings by Oscar Peterson and Bill Evans. “He would show me the melody and chords to standard songs like The Days of Wine and Rose and Take the A Train and we'd play together at home, piano & bass,” Dave recalls.
By fourteen, Dave was performing professionally around town, learning firsthand from seasoned musicians, one of the most tremendous learning experiences. Though he later spent time in Albany, Los Angeles, and New York City, Central New York has been home base for the past fifteen years - having taught Jazz at Cayuga Community College & Colgate University and currently Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.
JFriday’s performance reflects the trio’s shared creative vision. The original score for Now or Never was composed by Matt Vacanti, inspired by attending performances at the Syracuse Society for New Music. “I just thought, ‘I can do this!’” Matt says. Unlike traditional silent film accompaniments, the trio is not locked to a click track. While tempos and transitions are mapped out, there is significant room for improvisation, taking cues from the film. “We are reacting to the events on screen and shaping the music to the film,” he explains.
Importantly, they are not attempting to recreate 1920s-era music. The score is contemporary, inspired directly by the story itself. “My hope,” Matt shares, “is that our music can reshape the mood of each scene and help influence the emotions that the film inspires in the viewer.”
After more than twenty years of performing, Dave remains inspired by the possibilities of improvised music. “Composing music and developing your voice is a lifelong process,” he reflects. “I honestly feel like I’m just beginning.” Recent performances have taken him to Montreal, New Mexico, Florida, New York City, Vermont, Massachusetts and most recently a tour in Italy… “traveling and playing for different audiences is always thrilling. It never gets old.”
Join us Friday, March 6th, 2026 at 7pm at Arts At The Palace for Dave Solazzo & The Bridge Premiere Performance during the Hamilton Winter Jazz Festival.
You can find Dave at davesolazzo.com and listen at youtube.com/DaveSolazzo
