Sounds of the Zoo, Kalamazoo's free music festival, offers a jazz night from 6 - 10 pm on Thursday, Sep 28 at the KNAC Center (formerly the First Baptist Church). At 7:15 pm Caelan Cardello will make his Kalamazoo debut with a trio featuring regional players Luke LaFave on bass and Josiah DeNooyer on drums. Cardello says he knows DeNooyer well as a musician and friend because they both took part in the Ravinia Steans Music Institute's Program for Jazz in 2022.
Cardello, who was a finalist in the prestigious 2023 American Pianists Association Jazz Piano Competition, started his graduate studies at Juilliard this fall. He tells Cara Lieurance he's laying down life-long connections with a new set of teachers, and looks forward to his first visit to Kalamazoo and reuniting with DeNooyer for a varied set of music.
The evening begins at 6 pm with Pocket Watch, and closes with singer Jenna Mammina, whose ensemble includes WMU jazz faculty players Keith Hall, Matthew Fries, and Carlo De Rosa.
