American Pianists Awards' Premiere Series opens with turbulent, surprising Esteban Castro

A week ago, the cameo self-portraits of five young pianists were topped by the contribution of Esteban

Esteban Castro, 20, channels both Prokofiev and James P. Johnson.

Castro. The free concert in the Madame Walker Theater Sept. 18 yielded the most promising performance in the work of the youngest contestant, as the American Pianists Association presented its five finalists for the Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz.

A New Jerseyite, now a New Yorker studying at the Juilliard School, and with a firm grounding in classical music,  Castro treated his trio mates well inaugurating the Premiere Series of trio sets Saturday night. Yet he chose to devote a large proportion of his 70-minute second set at the Jazz Kitchen to expansive, unaccompanied playing. Often the trio would rejoin him by simply sliding into place, as if the three had been working together for a long time. That effect can be credited in large part to the skillful collegiality of bassist Nick Tucker and drummer Kenny Phelps.

As was evident Sept. 18, Castro again showed a relentless sensitivity to rhythm — both to the overall pulse he sets and to the intricacies he introduces in both a tune's theme and his improvisations. When he allows himself to float, it's often a prelude to another galvanic outpouring. This was clear in the original waltz he offered first, titled "Rose-Colored Paradise," which shifted after one of those unaccompanied episodes back into a trio, only to launch a samba, with Phelps imitating Latin percussion at first with crisp rim patterns. 

The pianist's treatment of the standard "Alone Together" was heavily energized by lots of thunder in the bass, as if the left hand were trying for a personal best in push-ups or planks. The right hand seemed exhilarated by the fitness demonstrations of the left. That emphasis set up  a masterly "stride" episode, part of Castro's declared love for James P. Johnson and later to be showcased by a solo performance of "Carolina Shout."

Castro gave lots of room for bass and drums to fill out a romp through Bud Powell's "Celia," which was followed up by a suite or medley that took us through a Joe Henderson classic and a lovely Cole Porter song before gaining breadth and a substantial flourish in one of Castro''s compositions. The Johnson classic was succeeded by the trio's zesty outing through "The Way You Look Tonight," which closed the set.

As for the way he sounded last night: Castro's attack at the keyboard, relieved by quieter episodes that held the large audience spellbound, often attained the ferocity and intense punctuation of such Latin-jazz masters as Chucho Valdes. I was sure the club's piano would need tuning before the next scheduled pianist. Some piano fans might bridle at the torrential display of pure "chops," but I found there were always plenty of ideas at work and outstanding facility in moving among textures and tempos. Castro has set a high mark of imagination and verve that his fellow finalists will be challenged to match.