Greetings! After an amazing week in Indianapolis, I’ve returned to New York to an e-mail saying that I’ve been accepted as a semi-finalist in the Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition. So, I’ll be heading to Switzerland sometime in July! More details to come…

Hi all!

I’m writing from Indianapolis, where i’ve been since Tuesday. Can’t wait to make some good music over the weekend after an absurd amount of buildup. Meanwhile, check out the link to a fun article from alternative Indy paper Nuvo.

It’s going to be a busy long weekend for me next week. I’ll be performing in Arizona & California:

• Saturday, April 2: 4 PM, Chandler Jazz Festival; Chandler, AZ
• Sunday, April 3: 4 PM, Benefit Concert at Irvine Yamaha Center (open to public)
• Sunday, April 3: 7 PM, Private Solo Piano Concert
• Monday, April 4: 10 AM, Masterclass for Jazz Piano Students at UCI
• Monday, April 4, 7 PM, Private Solo Piano Concert

Looking forward to a busy weekend!

At the end of the month, I’m heading down to Chandler, AZ to play in their jazz festival. It’s sponsored by the East Valley Yamaha School (big thanks to Heidi Grimes!) and I’ll be playing with awesome musicians and Yamaha stalwarts M.B. Gordy and Steve Pandis. From there, I’ll be heading to Southern California. More info on that to come soon!

I’ve also added a unique review to the “Review the Reviews” section – a poem by dear friend Sandi Behringer, written upon my Mardi Gras performance in Indianapolis a couple of weeks ago. Take a minute and read it – I think its great!

In an article entitled “An evening of surprises, imagination, and charm,” Indy Star critic Jay Harvey wrote, for the “bottom line” on my performance at the APA’s Jazz Premiere Series: “Pianist expresses, and instills, a sense of wonder.” He praised my “exhaustive imagination” as well as my “rhythmic and tonal mastery” which “seemed almost offhand.” In all, the performance “ruled the stage as firmly in talk as it did musically.”

For the first part of the American Pianist Association‘s epic Cole Porter Fellowship Competition, I’ll be heading to Indiana tomorrow for a week-long stint. I’ll play a long set at Jazz Kitchen on February 26th (sorry, gang, sold out), a Mardi Gras show at Pleasant View Lutheran Church, and then spend three days with the young musicians at Lawrence Central High School culminating in a performance at the Indiana State Museum on March 2nd. Please join me for any or all of these events!

I’ll be playing at Carnegie Hall with several great pianists – Ethan Iverson, Hiroko Sasaki, John Kamitsuka, Jeffrey Farrington, and Gregg Kallor, doing a tribute to three under appreciated female composers – Vivian Fine, Louise Talma, and Miriam Gideon. I’ll be playing Gideon’s “Of Shadows Numberless.” Many thanks to Sophia Rosoff and the Abby Whiteside Foundation for this performance opportunity!

“Simple Songs” received a four-star rating in a glowing review by writer James Hale in February’s upcoming Downbeat magazine:

“The paradox of Siskind’s ability to shift shapes and dodge expectations lingers throughout his sophomore recording, but there is also a sense of purpose, which keeps it from sounding like a pastiche by a prodigiously talented young musician…

From Brad Mehldau to Ethan Iverson, plenty of younger pianist tread similar territory, but Siskind distinguishes himself in his duo work with Lawry. In that setting, he seems even less wedded to the jazz continuum… In he end, Siskind seems happy to go his own way.”

Chicago’s “Accujazz” blog has named “Simple Songs” as one of the top 36 CDs of the year! I’m particularly excited to be on this list with friends Chris Lightcap, Ethan Iverson, Fred Hersch, and Jason Moran.

Critic Peter Hum of Ottawa and Richard B. Kamins of Hartford both selected “Simple Songs” as one of their “Top CDs of 2010.” I’m honored! Hum, in particular, listed “Simple Songs” as #2 in a section entitled “Four Debuts that Knocked Me Out,” beneath only drummer Eric Harland.