Emmet Cohen Trio with Lucy Yeghiazaryan
Emmet Cohen Trio featuring Lucy Yeghiazaryan
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
7:30 PM (EDT)
Emmet Cohen Trio
The Emmet Cohen Trio will channel the straight-ahead jazz aesthetic of the popular web series Live at Emmet’s Place, live on the Eisenhower Auditorium stage. The trio will be include Cohen (piano), Philip Norris (bass), and Joe Farnsworth (drums), and featuring New York City-based jazz Lucy Yeghiazaryan on vocals.
The thirtysomething American pianist and composer made his Penn State debut in 2018 with his trio accompanying singer Veronica Swift. He returned with his band the next year to share the Eisenhower stage with saxophonist Houston Person.
But when the pandemic hit with full force in 2020 and shuttered New York’s all-night jazz clubs and canceled his touring performances, Cohen had to rebrand.
Cue the Monday night digital series Live at Emmet’s Place, a club-style performance straight from the musician’s living room highlighting a rotating lineup of musical artists. Since its debut, the weekly Facebook livestream has become one the most viewed live online jazz programs in the world. Past musical guests to Cohen’s Harlem walkup include Christian McBride, Cyrille Aimee, Joe Lovano, Samara Joy, The Four Freshmen, Pacquito D’Rivera, and Yeghiazaryan.
Lucy Yeghiazaryan
Growing up in post-Soviet Union Armenia, Yeghiazaryan spent any chance she could—when the electricity was working—listening to her father’s once-contraband collection of jazz records. She developed her “full-bodied” voice and appreciation for the aesthetics of a bygone era by mimicking the sounds and styles of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan.
She also has performed with her sisters singing jazz-infused readings of classical Armenian songs.
She released her third album, Lonely House, in 2022.