An inter-generational jazz trio featuring Buster Williams releases a spirited set of collaborations.
~ Courtesy of DL Music Media and Red Records ~ Release date May 30, 2025
In the legacy of jazz history, traditionally the elders of the cherished music bequeath it to emerging musicians who use the wisdom of their experience to find their own paths. Today, that passage of vision has become blurred. Many jazz icons have passed away, and the opportunities for younger players to be close to and mentored by the stars has dwindled.
That’s why the inspired new Red Records album, Portrait of a Moment, by a duo of young Italians on piano and drums—Tommaso Perazzo and Marcello Cardillo—buoyed by a master on the bass, NEA honoree Buster Williams, is so welcomed. It is, like the unique title suggests, a snapshot of congenial international, intergenerational jazz that is fresh and spirited. The recording came together as a result of the friendship of the NewYork-based Perazzo and Cardillo, both in their late twenties, working with the 83-year-old Williams as his students at the Manhattan School of Music in his ensemble workshops.
The album as a whole is a testament to a mentor becoming a collaborator with two talented musicians. Williams was not the leader, but rather the rudder for the adventurous trio. While Perazzo and Cardillo are Italian natives, they didn’t meet each other until 2015 when they attended the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. “We became close friends and got together right away,” says Cardillo, “We played in competitions,” Perazzo adds, “and hung a lot.”
The pair received their undergrad degrees, and they moved to New York in 2020. They kept up their musical friendship and pursued their masters at the Manhattan School of Music. This is when the pair began their comradery with Williams. Perazzo says, “I wanted to work with pianist Marc Cary and Phil Markowitz, and then also chose Buster to gain his unique approach to the music from another rhythm player.”
As a result, the pair enrolled in William’s ensemble course where he fully recognized their talent. “Both of them are great players,” Williams says. “I don’t look at those titles of mentor and collaborator. All I look at is they are great practitioners on their instruments.That’s all I need to know. Plus, we’ve become good friends. I like them.”
They recorded in one day. “Just like the old days of jazz recordings,” says Perazzo. “We wanted to keep things fresh. Buster adapted into the music right away.”
With a few exceptions, most of the tracks were first takes. “We didn’t repeat songs,” Williams says. “When everybody speaks the same language, you don’t have to say the same thing over and over again. So you usually get it the first time, then maybe a second time if you need to.”
As for the naming of the album title Portrait of a Moment, Cardillo says, “We wanted to convey the vibe of having the opportunity to be in a classroom with Buster as our mentor and how that evolved into him being a collaborator in the studio. It’s unique. It’s a portrait of that day.”
What comes next? Williams says that he had enlisted Perazzo and Cardillo to play in Portugal last year after the recording. “It doesn’t take long to recognize great talent,” he says. “It turned out to be a winning combination.” This will continue as Williams and the two Italians will be touring in Italy this summer as well as performing a show in New York to celebrate the album.
