by Jean Peaslee
Daily Lobo
The 19-year-old jazz sensation Peter Cincotti will make his Albuquerque debut at a benefit concert for KNME Sunday at the KiMo Theatre.
The jazz pianist's career hit new heights in the last few years with his self-titled debut album reaching number one on Billboard Magazine's Traditional Jazz Chart.
Currently a student at Columbia University, Cincotti developed a following during his high-school years by performing with his own trio at numerous jazz venues, including The Knickerbocker and Joe's Pub in Greenwich Village, N.Y.
On a working vacation in London, Cincotti took time out of his schedule to answer some e-mailed questions about his career, his future and his music.
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Daily Lobo: Are you planning on finishing your degree?ˇ Do you have advice for students thinking of quitting college to begin a music career?
Peter Cincotti: I'm taking one day at a time. Getting an education, especially at a place like Columbia, is very important to me. However, music is my life. I want to balance both worlds as best I can so that neither world suffers. Right now I'm on tour supporting my debut CD and I'm traveling all over the world, which is a different kind of education.
As far as advice for other young musicians who are in college, I would have to say that there are no rules when it comes to this stuff. You just have to follow your heart.
DL: How do you feel when you are compared to Harry Connick, Jr.?
PC: Harry Connick, Jr. is a great man. He has been so generous to me through the years and has given me so many opportunities to play music. As far comparisons go, we are two different people and two different musicians.
The part that can be a little frustrating is the fact that some people may make that comparison solely based on the fact that I am a young male musician playing the piano and singing music that isn't rock or rap.
In general, everybody seems to always need to compare someone new with someone already established. As a result, very often people go to hear music with a preconceived notion of what they are going to hear which may be completely wrong.
All I want is the audience to decide for themselves what they hear. It doesn't matter if they like what they hear or they don't, as long as it is their interpretation of the music, not someone else's.
DL: You have appeared in an episode of "The Young and the Restless" and the upcoming films "Spiderman 2" and "Beyond the Sea", where you play Bobby Darin's arranger.ˇHow do you feel about performers in the music business making the transition to the acting world?
PC: First of all, I don't feel that I am making any transitions into the acting world. The movies I'm in and the TV appearances I've had have all been music related. In all of these projects I am playing music. That is what is important to me.
I have enough to learn within the world of music alone to keep me busy for the rest of my life. As long as I'm playing the music I want to play, and as long as I can learn something from it, I don't care whether I'm in front of a camera or in a jazz club.
Tickets for Cincotti's performance are available through Ticketmaster or at the KiMo Theatre Box Office.
