On Sunday nights, we’re putting the spotlight on the grand piano and the amazing musicians who play it! Front and center on the Festival’s concert stage is the AvantGrand hybrid piano N3X generously provided by Yamaha. Enjoy an evening of live music performed by some of Southern California’s most highly regarded pianists.

Great melodies; the essential quality that has defined Grammy winning keyboardist / composer / producer Gregg Karukas’ 13 solo CD’s over a three decade career, with many #1 radio hits, both sophisticated and accessible. “Serenata”, his first ever solo piano project, offers romantic impressions of classic songs from iconic Brazilian artists Milton Nascimento and Dori Caymmi as well as new and re-imagined Karukas originals. Coming out of a 4 year hiatus, following the loss of his wife Yvonne from brain cancer, Gregg found the challenges of both the Covid isolation and developing his solo piano voice to be the perfect catalyst for reclaiming beauty, hope and, most importantly, new original music. Gregg will also step into the classic piano trio format to play some of his best known songs and jazz classics – “unplugged”.

A genre-crossing veteran of Smooth Jazz, Brazilian, New Age and R&B/Pop, Gregg Karukas looks back on his years touring with Brazilian artists Sergio Mendes, Dori Caymmi and Ricardo Silveira in the 1990’s as some of his favorite musical experiences.

After a recent move, Gregg discovered a dusty box of live cassette recordings of shows in the 1990’s with Dori and Ricardo Silveira and was curious to check out one particular tape marked “Dori – Le Cafe” with a star!…… I had to buy a used cassette deck to play it, and it was one of our magical nights. I sat down at the piano and recalled many of his lush, melodic songs as best as I could and got very emotional, especially since I had also recently found the video of our wedding in 1992, where Dori sang “O Cantador” during the ceremony and “Travessia” was our first dance. That evening pulled me out of my comfort zone and set me on a surprising new adventure that I hope will bring some peace and joy to all who are suffering during this challenging time.”

“Most people think of Brazilian music as highly rhythmic, based on samba, or carnival,” Gregg says, “but there are so many other great qualities that encompass a world of influences; I love the more emotional, romantic melodies, and while I don’t understand any of the Portuguese lyrics, these songs are very special to me”. Listening constantly on the way to his gigs, Gregg found the lush melodies and harmonies of Milton and friends to be a ‘sacred’ respite; the perfect antidote to the involved, dynamic jazz fusion he was writing and playing. “I deliberately did not try to analyze or learn the songs at the piano, up until very recently that is……and so I was able to approach the music on “Serenata” with a fresh, unfiltered perspective. A few of the originals are late night, through-composed improvisations”.

Looking back, Gregg had no idea he would eventually be recording and playing on the world’s biggest stages with many of his Brazilian musical heroes, including Montreux Jazz with Caymmi, and multiple shows at the Hollywood Bowl with Ivan Lins, Oscar Castro Neves, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Toots Thielemans, Mendes and Caymmi.

Early reviews: “With his first solo piano album, Grammy winner Gregg Karukas dazzles, not with piano pyrotechnics, but with subtle nuance and a deep love for this music. A mix of original compositions along with piano impressions of Brazilian artists Milton Nascimento, Clube da Esquina and Dori Caymmi, Karukas clearly demonstrates that, in the right hands, great music (and great musicianship!) defies genres and categories to enrich the ears and hearts of anyone willing to take some time to listen. Serenata is sure to be one of the best and most honored albums of 2021 ! Kathy Parsons – MainlyPiano.com

“Serenata” is the definition of solo piano heaven. It is easy to tell that this is an artist on the very top of his game. The music goes straight to the heart – and stays there. It has moved me deeply, and several of the pieces here will be included in our permanent playlist, to play for years and years. Fantastic work.” BT Fasmer New Age Music Guide

“Serenata is a pleasant surprise,…. very lyrical,and I am rather amazed to hear an American recording tunes by Flavio Venturini and Lo and Marcio Borges (!). It comes through that you really ‘get’ the music and have a deep appreciation of these songs. Karukas – a longtime collaborator with the likes of Dori Caymmi and Sergio Mendes – not only has the discerning taste to pick these songs to interpret, but also the chops and the right sensibility to interpret them for a new generation.” Chris McGowan- Author of: The Brazilian Sound and The Brazilian Music Book