Jazz at the de Blasiis: Exclusive Q&A with Jazz Pianist and JUNO Award Winner David Restivo
DAVID RESTIVO
Award-winning pianist, composer, and sometime drummer David Restivo was born in Lansing, Michigan, molded by the mountains and coasts of New England, and has been based primarily in Toronto, Canada since 1982. A sought-after and influential figure in Canada’s jazz community since the late 1980s, he relocated to Nelson, BC, in 2019 after accepting an offer to join the full-time music faculty at Selkirk College.
David came to national and international prominence in the 1990s as pianist with trombonist-arranger Rob McConnell’s legendary jazz orchestra, the Boss Brass, recording several albums with that institution, including the Grammy Award-winning collaboration with Mel Tormé, Velvet and Brass. He went on to do other big band work, notably the Art of Jazz Orchestra, created and curated by saxophonist Jane Bunnett, with whom he collaborated with artists such as Kevin Mahogany, Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, George Garzone, and Howard Johnson. Fresh out of college, he was taken under the wing of veteran drummer and bandleader Norman Marshall Villeneuve (known as “Canada’s Art Blakey”), and later was a key component of two of Canada’s seminal small jazz groups, the Mike Murley Quintet and Christine Jensen Quartet. He worked extensively with “songwriter to the stars” Marc Jordan and became immersed in the worlds of Salsa and Latin jazz as a member of the Colombian-American-Canadian drummer/percussionist Memo Acevedo’s groups.
As a first-call pianist in Toronto’s vibrant music scene for more than 30 years, an abridged list of jazz and pop music luminaries he has had the opportunity to perform and/or record with includes: Holly Cole, Ingrid Jensen, Marcus Belgrave, Kenny Wheeler, Sheila Jordan, Roberta Gambarini, Curtis Fuller, Jerry Bergonzi, John Abercrombie, Dave Holland, John Pattitucci, Brian Blade, Jon Hendricks, Charles McPherson, Gene Bertoncini, Molly Johnson, Emilie-Claire Barlow, John Pizzarelli, Jessica Molaskey, Stacy Rowles, Alex Acuña, Don Thompson, Phil Dwyer, Dave Young, Neil Swainson, Moe Koffman, Metalwood, the Woody Herman Orchestra, David Clayton Thomas (Blood, Sweat, &Tears), Randy Bachman (Guess Who/BTO), Jeff Healy, Joey Baron, Pat LaBarbera, Joe LaBarbera, Maynard Fergusson, Will Kennedy (Yellowjackets), Jimmy Greene,
Mary Margaret O’Hara, Donny McCaslin, Jim Cuddy (Blue Rodeo), and many others. He has played at major festivals and venues across Canada and the U.S. as well as in Europe, South America, the Middle East, and Asia. Following early studies at Toronto’s Humber College, the Royal Conservatory of Music, and the Banff Centre for the Arts in Alberta, David earned a Master of Arts degree in music composition from York University. His important teachers have included Kenny Werner, Muhal Richard Abrams, Art Maiste, Don Thompson, Frank Falco, Earl Mlotek, Jim McNeely, Sonny Bravo, and Penelope Roskell. A dedicated educator himself, he has previously served on music faculty at Humber College, the University of Toronto, St. Francis Xavier University, the University of Manitoba, and the Banff Centre. David received a JUNO award (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys) in 2002 in the “Best Traditional Jazz Album” category, for his work on the album The Rob McConnell Tentet, and his own Chronograph Records release, Arancina (The David Restivo Trio), was nominated for Jazz Album of the Year (Group) at the 2022 JUNOs. He was voted Pianist of the Year at the National Jazz Awards in 1997, 2000, and 2002. Immersed in the arts from birth, a chance discovery of a Dizzy Gillespie recording at an early age led David to focus on jazz and improvised music, though he derives inspiration from a wide range of musical and non-musical sources, including John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Joni Mitchell, Genesis, Hazrat Inayat Khan, Gustav Mahler, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Marc Chagall, and J.S. Bach. “...simply one of the most exceptional jazz pianists of his generation that Canada can boast of...” (Roger Levesque, Edmonton Journal).
GFS Exclusive Q&A with Composer, Jazz Pianist, Educator, Drummer, David Restivo:
GFS: What can the audience look forward to about this performance?
DR: A vibrant mix of original music from Christine Jensen and me, plus some familiar standards, performed by musicians who share a long history and deep chemistry. Christine is one of the finest composer-arrangers working today, and is a heck of a saxophonist, to boot!
GFS: What do you enjoy most when working with a small jazz ensemble?
DR: Christine and I have each done a lot of work with big bands (and Christine leads her own), and it is a thrilling experience to be immersed in that kind of rich and powerful soundworld. However, a small group, especially a trio or quartet, affords a greater degree of intimacy, interaction, freedom, and deep listening.
GFS: Alyssa Verheyn is a member of the Glens Falls Symphony here in Glens Falls, NY. How long have you known Alyssa, and what do you value most about collaboration with her?
DR: Alyssa and I have been close friends and musical collaborators for almost a quarter of a century. We met on a summer-long gig in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and almost immediately found that there was something magical that happened when we played together, a rare kind of "greater than the sum of the parts" kind of synergy. As a sometime drummer myself, the dance between piano and drums is really important to me, and Alyssa is one of my favorite musical dance partners; we feel rhythm and time the same way--we breathe together. At times, when it comes to drummers, I've felt like I had to choose between fire and sensitivity, and Alyssa brings a beautiful balance of both. She swings hard and can also negotiate more intricate, modern music, so that freedom is there to go in any direction.
GFS: As one of Canada's most celebrated Jazz musicians, what is the most important thing for Jazz supporters to remember to keep Jazz thriving?
DR: Jazz, like so-called "classical" music and other forms outside of the popular mainstream, is experiential in nature, not strictly entertainment, although it can certainly be entertaining; as such, it requires a slowing down, a certain kind of patience and attention span that can be in short supply in these times of screens and sound bites. We need audiences to show up, not only so that we can continue to support ourselves but because this music is best experienced live, as it is an in-the-moment creation that is never the same twice.
GFS:What artists have influenced you most when composing Jazz Music
DR: Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Woody Shaw, John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Lyle Mays, Brian Blade, among many others. I have also been influenced by many artists from outside of jazz, including Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Genesis, Radiohead, J.S. Bach, Aram Khachaturian, Gustav Mahler, etc.
GFS: As a Music Educator at Selkirk College in Nelson, what does the next generation of musicians bring to jazz in the years to come
DR: They are bringing an understanding of the whole history of the music, in addition to growing up immersed in popular music from rock to hip hop, R&B, and beyond, both from their own generation and generations past. In some cases, they are bringing influences from their own various cultural backgrounds; for jazz, which grew out of the African American experience, has become a truly global art form. More than anything, the new generation is breaking down barriers, ultimately rendering the kinds of genre labels that have traditionally separated types of music all but irrelevant.
GFS: Composing, producing, performing...teaching. What do you do outside of it all to ensure balance?
DR: I try to make time to exercise, get out in nature, read books, and cook (mostly Italian and Asian foods)!
de Blasiis Chamber Series - Jazz at the de Blasiis
Sunday, April 19, 2026, 3 pm.
Helen Froehlich Auditorium, at the Hyde Collection, Glens Falls, NY
Christine Jensen, alto and soprano saxophones
David Restivo, piano
Danica Rebudiao, Bass
Alyssa Falk Verheyn, percussion
To Purchase Tickets to this performance,Click Here* Seats are limited
Adults $25, Students $10 (Tickets will be sold at the de Blasiis Box Office one hour before the concert at the Hyde Collection, based on availability).
For more information on the Glens Falls Symphony and the de Blasiis Chamber Music Series, visit our website:www.theglensfallssymphony.org
For more information on David Restivo, visit: https://www.daverestivomusic.com/