The New York pianist and composer Emmet Cohen is known for his smooth style of playing, influenced by the swinging jazz style Harlem Stride, which has been around for over a century. On his acclaimed breakthrough album Future Stride from 2021, he skilfully infuses new life into compositions by Stride pioneers James P. Johnson and Fats Waller in a refreshing manner. The follow-up, Uptown In Orbit, is Cohen’s nod to Duke Ellington's Blues In Orbit and refers to the Harlem district (‘Uptown’). Cohen lives in the same street Ellington once lived in, and his apartment has become something of a hotspot thanks to YouTube. From his home, Cohen records the much-watched jazz series Live From Emmet's Place, where he plays with famous guest musicians such as Jazzmeia Horn and Christian McBride. As a finalist of the Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition, he was a personal guest of President Obama in the White House. During the festival, the Emmet Cohen Trio will be bringing along the New York Grammy-nominated saxophonist Patrick Bartley.
