Leo Genovese | |
|---|---|
 Genovese in 2020. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 1979 (age 44–45) Venado Tuerto, Argentina |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instrument(s) | Piano, keyboards, other instruments |
| Years active | Mid-2000s–present |
Leonardo Genovese (born 1979) is an Argentine jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer. He has played with The Mars Volta.
Genovese was born in Venado Tuerto, Argentina, in 1979.[1] He began playing the piano at the age of 5 or 6, but became more interested in playing around ten years later.[1]
Genovese began studying music and accounting at the University of Rosario, but soon abandoned accountancy, and in 2001 he began studying at the Berklee College of Music.[1] He graduated in 2003.[1] His first album, Haiku II, was released the following year and was followed by Unlocked in 2008, but Genovese later talked them down, stating that they were "just a way to document where I was at the time".[1] From 2005 he recorded and toured internationally with bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spalding.[1]
A reviewer for The New York Times commented on Genovese's 2013 album, Seeds, that, "by refusing to privilege one historical style over another, he strengthens his claim as a polyglot".[2] Down Beat observed that Genovese's compositions for the album "share an exploratory nature, whether the new terrain in question is a marriage of electronic and acoustic sounds, an unlikely use of chromatic scaling or the successful juxtaposition of otherwise disparate ideas."[3]
Wayne Shorter & Leo Genovese, soloist won a Grammy Award for Best Improvised Jazz Solo for the Wayne Shorter composition "Endangered Species" for which Leo accompanied him on the album Live at the Detroit Jazz Festival.[4] Genovese won the DownBeat Critics Award for Rising Star – Piano in 2023.[5]
An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Personnel/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Haikus II | Fresh Sound New Talent | With Nathan Blehar (tenor sax), Phil Grenadier (trumpet), Demian Cabaud (bass), Francisco Mela (drums) |
| 2007* | Planet Safety | Soul Note | Trio, with Dave Zinno (bass), Bob Gullotti (drums) |
| 2008* | Unlocked | Ropeadope | Trio, with Justin Purtill (bass), Joe Hunt (drums); Genovese also plays wood flute |
| 2010 | Seeds | Palmetto | With Dan Blake (saxes), John Lockwood (bass), Bob Gullotti (drums); Sergio Miranda (percussion); Esperanza Spalding (vocals), George Garzone (sax), Ricardo Vogt (guitar), Francisco Mela (drums) added on some tracks |
| 2017* | Trippeiros | Carimbo Porta-Jazz | Trio, with Demian Cabaud (bass), Francisco Mela (drums) |
| Year recorded | Leader | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Esperanza Spalding | Esperanza | Heads Up |
| 2009 | Esperanza Spalding | Chamber Music Society | Heads Up |
| 2011 | Esperanza Spalding | Radio Music Society | Heads Up |
| 2011* | Francisco Mela and Cuban Safari | Tree of Life | Half Note |
| 2012* | Michael Feinberg | The Elvin Jones Project | Sunnyside |
| 2013* | Pancho Molina and Elias Meister | Open for Business | EMPM |
| 2014* | Sara Serpa and André Matos | Primavera | Inner Circle Music |
| 2014* | Miguel Fernandez | Afrikan Blues | Sax On |
| 2015* | George Garzone | Crescent | Jody Jazz & Jazz Hang Records |
| 2017* | Oscar Feldman | Gol | Zoho |
| 2017* | George Spanos | Reflections | Self Produced |
| 2017 | Wayne Shorter | Live at the Detroit Jazz Festival | Candid |
| 2020 | Omar Rodríguez-López | The Clouds Hill Tapes | Clouds Hill |
| 2021 | Esperanza Spalding | Songwrights Apothecary Lab | Concord |
| 2022 | The Mars Volta | The Mars Volta | Clouds Hill |
| 2022 | Jason Palmer | Con Alma | SteepleChase |
| 2023 | The Mars Volta | Qué Dios Te Maldiga Mí Corazón | Clouds Hill |
