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Roberta Piket | Pianist, Organist, Composer, Vocalist, Teacher

Progressive Pianist Roberta Piket Plays Jazz and Improvised Music Out of New York – – – – DownBeat Critics Poll Winner- – – – –

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Rochester City Newspaper

At the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival…despite her phenomenal talent, Piket had a refreshingly down-to-earth rapport with the audience…a tour-de-force.

Rochester City Newspaper

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“An extremely talented young pianist. I predict she’ll go far as a jazz pianist and composer.”

Marian McPartland

“Roberta Piket is a revelation on the piano, a virtuosa whose skill and innovation can enliven and transform any song.”

NYC Jazz Record

“A favorite of Marian McPartland, Piket is a deeply swinging, intelligent, two–fisted pianist.”

Paul deBarros, Seattle Times

“A sense of discovery abounds.”

Billboard Magazine

Third time through this [online] solo hit… it’s superb… you need to see the welcome mat she puts out for “Monk’s Dream.”

Jim Macnie (@hapboym)

“An exceptional modern-jazz pianist hovering just outside the radar, Piket looks beyond the tradition while tipping her hat to its verities.

The New Yorker

“It’s Piket’s two-handed keyboard work that has Keith Jarrett’s facility but more guts….”

Ken Waxman, NYC Jazz Record

“Roberta is a force to be reckoned with and one to watch.”

Mike Stratton, 89.7FM, WLNZ, Lansing, MI

“If you were lucky enough to hear Roberta Piket…you heard an exceptional talent…with probing lyricism and creative fluency…a fine instinct for leading a rhythm section…always taking the music to a more elevated plateau.”

Los Angeles New Times

“Roberta Piket is not as well-known as she should be, but “Solo” gives plenty of examples of her deep, rich talent.”

Thomas Cunniffe, Jazz History Online

“(Critic’s Choice) Constantly curious, she has released a series of recordings probing across the landscape from retro-mainstream to free jazz.”

Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times

Roberta Piket enters a tune’s body intimately, revealing the soul of a song with both precision and surprise.

JazzIz

“Roberta is an eloquent creator who takes chances but is true to her internal compass.”

Michael Steinman, JazzLives

“Piket plays with a studied abandon… she’s completely familiar with the entire history of jazz piano which she translates into a comfortably post-modern attitude…. What a gift to evoke everyone from Jelly Roll Morton to Stanley Cowell!”

Jan P. Dennis, Audiophile Audition

“A modern romantic with a contemporary harmonic sense and a timeless genius for inventing fresh, crisp ideas.”

Owen McNally, Hartford Courant

Whether improvising freely or working within standard jazz structures, Roberta Piket and Billy Mintz show that there is no genre that they cannot conquer.

Terrell Holmes, The New York City Jazz Record

“…a jazz pianist who still hasn’t quite received the ovations that her unique talents deserve.”

Don Heckman, Int'l Review of Music

“Pianist and composer Roberta Piket stands among the elite minds of modern jazz.”

National Public Radio

“The revelation of this year’s (Earshot Jazz) festival was Roberta Piket.”

JazzTimes

“Subtle genius.”

Elliott Simon, All About Jazz

“Roberta Piket isn’t a blusterer: each of her pieces seeks to solve a particular problem, and she’s quietly been working on form and conceptual matters in the spirit of devoted explorers like Chick Corea and Richie Beirach.”

Ben Ratliff, New York Times

“Wonderful and versatile…. A strikingly fine pianist and composer… Expect jazz in its more multi-limbed, open-ended definition.”

Josef Woodard, Santa Barbara News-Press

These performances [on Domestic Harmony] portray a warmth that goes beyond the collegiality of most jazz.

Martin Johnson, Wall Street Journal

“Piket is emerging as one the top tier of improvising pianists around today.”

Dave Wayne, AllAboutJazz.com

[West Coast Trio] is a masterful album, a poignant reminder of how compelling small group interplay can be…

Thomas Stauder, Ossining Gazette

At the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival…despite her phenomenal talent, Piket had a refreshingly down-to-earth rapport with the audience…a tour-de-force.

Rochester City Newspaper

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Available on ESP-Disk: Seven Pieces/About an Hour/Saxophone, Piano, Drums (2023)

Free improvisation with long-time colleagues alto saxophonist Mark Reboul and drummer Billy Mintz.

Available on Sunnyside Records: You've Been Warned (2022)

Collaborative CD featuring originals by Harvie S, Billy Mintz and Roberta Piket

DOWNBEAT READERS VOTE FOR ROBERTA IN POLL!

The people have spoken! In the 2018 Downbeat Readers' Poll, Roberta was voted 8th in the Jazz Artist category (just behind such luminaries as Pat Metheny and Tony Bennett), 7th in the Piano category (following the legendary Keith Jarrett) and 5th in the Organ category!

ROBERTA WINS DOWNBEAT CRITICS POLL RISING STAR CATEGORY

Roberta won the 2018 Downbeat Critics Poll Rising Star Award for Organ. Roberta also placed 16th in the Rising Star category for piano.

Roberta plays and endorses Fishman amplifiers and ZT amplifiers.

Upcoming Performances

10/16/25 Roberta Piket Quintet in Brooklyn, NY at Ornithology
10/18/25 Carol & the Morganix in New York, NY at Cellar Dog
11/02/25 Roberta Piket Quartet in New York, NY at The Django
11/14/25 Billy Mintz Quintet in New York, NY at Smalls Jazz Club
11/15/25 Billy Mintz Quintet in New York, NY at Smalls Jazz Club

All Performance Highlights

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