Israeli jazz pianist Shai Maestro, born on February 5, 1987, commenced his musical journey at the age of five, initially exploring classical piano. He graduated from the Thelma Yellin High School of Performing Arts in Givataim, Israel. Notably, he clinched victories at the National Jazz Ensembles Competition Jazz Signs in 2002 and 2003 and received scholarships (2004 to 2010) from the America-Israel Cultural Fund for jazz piano. While attending the
Berklee College of Music's Five-Week Summer Performance Program in Boston, Shai Maestro earned a scholarship but opted not to pursue the subsequent offer to attend Berklee. Shortly thereafter, bassist
Avishai Cohen invited him to join his trio alongside drummer
Mark Guiliana. Maestro contributed to four albums with the Avishai Cohen Trio, including two for Blue Note:
Gently Disturbed (2008),
Sensitive Hours (2008),
Aurora (2009), and
Seven Seas (2011), touring with the trio during this period. In July 2010, Shai Maestro took the lead forming his own trio and recorded
Shai Maestro Trio for the French label Laborie Jazz. The trio subsequently toured globally, averaging 80 concerts annually and sharing stages with notable groups led by
Chick Corea,
Tigran Hamasyan,
Esperanza Spalding, and
Diana Krall. In 2012, the trio released their second album,
The Road to Ithaca, through Laborie Jazz. This was succeeded by
Untold Stories (2015) and
The Stone Skipper (2016). These albums received acclaim from
DownBeat magazine,
The Guardian,
NPR, and WBGO's The Checkout. Maestro recorded
The Dream Thief (
ECM) in April 2018, featuring Ofri Nehemya on drums and Jorge Roeder on bass. The recording took place at Lugano's Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI and was produced by
Manfred Eicher. Apart from his trio work, Maestro contributed to an album with vocalist
Theo Bleckmann. In 2021, Maestro released the album
Human (
ECM).
All About Jazz gave it a favorable review, noting the camaraderie present in the album. Collaborating with trumpeter Philip Dizack, Jorge Roeder, and Ofri Nehemya, Maestro continued to showcase his musical exploration and innovation. His presence resonates in diverse venues and major jazz festivals worldwide, such as
Jarasum Jazz in Korea,
Bimhuis or
North Sea Jazz in The Netherlands and Winter Jazz in New York City, US. In 2025, Shai Maestro released his first piano solo album, called
Solo Miniatures and Tales (
Naïve) . ==Discography==