June 11, 2018. On West Coast Trio, pianist and composer Roberta Piket returns to a familiar setting for the first time in over a decade. With Darek Oleszkiewicz on bass, and Joe La Barbera on the drums, the splendor of her selections shines. Roberta’s musical roots cover all angles: jazz, classical and in between. The New York Philharmonic performed the works of her late father, Austrian composer Frederick Piket. Her mother, Cynthia, was a standards singer.
Piket herself studied under some of the most respected and versatile artists on the music scene, and branched out into all different configurations and genres.
This album is easy to listen to again and again. The originals, like “Mentor” and “Bridge To Nowhere” are interesting (the latter features a guest appearance by guitarist Larry Koonse). Roberta’s playing on the standards adds some pop and bounce you wouldn’t have realized were missing.
Her beautiful rendition of Michel Legrand’s “Windmills of Your Mind” is a executed with respectul due, while serving as a reminder of her free jazz experience.
Fun arrangements of “Flor de Lis” and “Humpty Dumpty” round out West Coast Trio. It’s a bit of a romp, without being slapstick. Roberta’s return to the piano trio is triumphant, and sounds just like home.