DYAD
Ever since George Gershwin composed “Rhapsody in Blue” in 1924, artists from Duke Ellington to Gunther Schuller have used elements from classical music to create new and exciting jazz sounds. Alto saxophonist Lou Caimano and pianist Eric Olsen are among the most innovative musical talents to fuse these two great art forms. They transform well-known operatic arias into imaginative and unconventional jazz compositions.
The duo has been performing together for 16 years under the name of DYAD, a rubric that Webster’s defines as “two persons in a continuing relationship involving interaction.” Their musical interaction continues on this project with elegant and highly original jazz arrangements of operatic melodies mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Testimonials from Our Promoters and Presenters and Reviewers:
"Dyad presented a world class afternoon of operatic melodies thorough a jazz prism. Our audience was in rapt awe of their musicianship, creativity and the beauty of sound. This is the second time they have performed here and we are excited to invite them again!"
Jamie Peterson, Board Member
The Friends of the New Providence Library
Cadence Magazine
January 03, 2017
Robert Rusch
“I am impressed in particular with Olsen’s pianistic abilities as he plays in head turning solos and I am also impressed with Caimano’s distinctive sound.”
AllAboutJazz.com
November 12, 2016
Jerome Wilson
“…retain(s) the beauty of the classical melodies but the jazz soloing is done with real abandon and flair.”
www.musicmanblog.com
November 07, 2016
Bob Nicosia
“…magical music for your ears that will never get old.”
“Alto Saxophonist Lou Caimano and Pianist Eric Olsen have used their remarkable improvisational skills to turn beautiful operatic melodies into wonderful jazz performances.”
The Art Music Lounge
October 31, 2016
Lynn René Bayley
“…a terrifically creative album, one that simply cannot be fully appreciated or savored in just one listening. There is, literally, so much going on here that you need to listen two or three times at least. What a great album!”
Roberta on the Arts
October 21, 2016
Dr. Roberta E. Zlokower
“…visionary recording”
Aquarian Weekly
October 19, 2016
Mike Greenblatt
“Here… Caimano and Olsen… take the most dramatic arias from Mozart’s 1787 Don Giovanni, Barber’s 1956 Vanessa, Bizet’s 1875 Carmen, Verdi’s 1887 Otello and three more to turn them into gloriously swinging jazz, no mean feat.”
JazzMostly.com
September 30, 2016
Bruce Crowther
“High quality music, inspired improvisations! Beautiful music, reinvented with taste and respect by two immensely talented musicians.”
Jersey Jazz Journal
November 01, 2016
Joe Lang
“The results are warmly engaging, and make for stimulating listening. Olsen and Caimano have shown again with this album that they have found a winning formula for this musical synthesis.”
Elmore Magazine
September 26, 2016
Mike Jurkovic
“DYAD fearlessly and imaginatively bebop these formidable operatic themes, each taken with improvisatory flair and soaring musicianship. Caimano and Olsen are the daring bright lights here. Deservedly so.”
Bebop Spoken Here
September 14, 2016
Lance
"A Tour de Force!"
Midwest Record
September 13, 2016
Chris Spector
“Dyad Plays Jazz Arias will simply blow your mind! Real playing for real ears on the lookout for hot new sounds.”
WBAA Inside Jazz
September 05, 2016
Don Seybold
“I will play, feature, and talk about this bit of beauty and aesthetic intelligence (Dyad Plays Jazz Arias) a great deal”.
JazzTImes
November 26, 2013
Scott Albin
"An enthralling CD, eloquent and passionate improvisations on artful arrangements."
DYAD Plays Puccini is rated one of the Top Jazz CD's of 2013 by Scott Albin
Critical Jazz
July 31, 2013
Brent Black
"Perhaps the most amazing transformation of cultural enlightenment in the last quarter century."
Jazz Inside Magazine
November 01, 2013
Alex Henderson
"DYAD makes Puccini’s melodies sound perfectly natural as postbop…and their risk taking pays off."
Downbeat Magazine
January 03, 2014
John McDonough
"Fugue-ish playfulness and a jazz sensibility. The result is a finely tuned recital."
Classical Candor
November 15, 2013
John J. Puccio
"An enjoyable album filled with grace and poise, that kept me fascinated for its duration."
MusicZoom
October 31, 2013
Vittorio
"Dyad Plays Puccini" is an extraordinary project by two American musicians."
MusicWeb-International
September 26, 2013
Tony Augarde
"Brilliant originality, intriguing blend of classics, jazz and breathtaking skill of the duettists."
Rochester City Newspaper
September 11, 2013
Ron Netsky
"Lou Caimano is an extraordinary saxophonist … Eric Olsen is an excellent pianist. “Dyad Plays Puccini” is chamber jazz at its finest."
Roberta on the Arts
August 14, 2013
Dr. Roberta E. Zlokower
"Caimano and Olsen vary Puccini’s masterpieces with theatricality and reverence."
Resident Magazine
August 10, 2013
Barry Bassis
"An imaginative approach to these lush melodies."
Blogcritics
July 21, 2013
Jack Goodstein
"This is a remarkable album."
Our Man on the Coast
July 20, 2013
Maxwell Chandler
"Impressive Sonics and pristine sound."
Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange
July 16, 2013
Mark S. Tucker
"You must give this a listen, as it's one of those releases in which words fail."
Jazzquad.ru
July 14, 2013
Leonid Auskern
"The virtuosity of execution of both parties deserves the highest praise."
JazzWax
July 13, 2013
Marc Myers
"This is a jazz album through and through and it’s a treat."
Paul Leslie Hour
July 07, 2013
Paul Leslie
"Grace. Style. Virtuosity. Originality."
Midwest Record
June 22, 2013
Chris Spector
"The only pyrotechnics you need are the sparks this duo sets off. Well done!"
Jersey Jazz
May 30, 2013
Joseph Lang
"The results are simply wonderful."
Review of DYAD:
“Dyad Plays Jazz Arias will simply blow your mind! Real playing for real ears on the lookout for hot new sounds.”
(Chris Spector, Midwest Record)
Past Dates
Sunday, November 12th, 2017
New Providence Library
DYAD Play Jazz Arias - 3 PM
377 Elkwood Avenue
New Providence, NJ 07974
USA
908-665-0311
Price: Free
DYAD, the incomparable jazz duo of Lou Caimano on alto saxophone and Eric Olsen on piano, is back by popular demand, playing their innovative jazz versions of operatic favorites! After the critical success of their album DYAD Plays Puccini, which Jazz Times Magazine called one of the Top 50 Jazz Albums of 2013, Olsen and Caimano returned to the studio to bring DYAD Plays Jazz Ariasto life. Dubbed a “visionary recording”, a “Tour de Force!”, and “magical music that will never get old” by critics, This concert will feature familiar melodies from both these trend setting albums, including arias from Carmen by Bizet, Don Giovanni by Mozart, Otello by Verdi, and the beloved operas of Puccini.
Saturday, May 13th, 2017
Union Congregational Church
Dyad Plays Jazz Arias - 7:30 PM
176 Cooper Avenue
Montclair, NJ 07043
(973) 744-7424
Price: Freewill Donation
Two innovative jazz and classical artists
Transcend musical boundaries,
Transforming favorite operatic arias into
Contemporary jazz with grace, style,
Brilliant originality, and breathtaking skill.
Come hear favorite operatic melodies from the operas
Carmen, Tosca, La Boheme, Don Giovanni, and more!
“Magical music for your ears that will never get old”
“Visionary”
Saturday, November 5th, 2016
The Ridgewood Conservatory
Dyad Plays Jazz Arias CD Release Concert - 7:30 PM
409 Sette Drive
Paramus, NJ 07652
USA
201-612-6686
Price: Admission is $10 for Adults, Children 12 and under free, all others $5
DYAD Plays Jazz Arias features favorite operatic arias from Bizet's Carmen to Mozart's Champagne Aria Finch'han dal vino, re-imagined with brilliant originality and breathtaking skill.
Come experience the artistry of DYAD live in concert at our CD Release Concert!
Sunday, May 15th, 2016
Union Congregational Church
Dyad Plays Jazz Arias - 3 PM
176 Cooper Avenue
Montclair, NJ 07043
USA
(973) 744-7424
Price: Fundraising Concert; Donation Gratefully Accepted
Come Hear the music from the latest Dyad collaboration, Dyad Plays Jazz Arias! A wonderful collection of arias by Mozart, Bizet, Verdi, and other great composers, brought to a new level of artistry through the musical transfiguration of Eric Olsen and Lou Caimano! Not to be missed!
All proceed from this concert will go to benefit Church World Services.
Thursday, September 24th, 2015
Montclair State University, Chapin Hall, Jed Leschowitz Recital Hall
Dyad: Jazz Arias - 8 PM
1 Normal Avenue
Montclair, NEW JERSEY 07043
Uni
973-655-4000
Price: Free Admission
The next installment of the highly rated Dyad series: Jazz Arias features more of the unique artistry of Eric Olsen and Lou Caimano. Music includes famous arias from Carmen, Otello, Don Giovanni, Pagliacci, and other operas, given the same eloquent and passionate improvisations which have made Dyad Plays Puccini such a wonderful success.
Saturday, September 19th, 2015
Unitarian Society of Ridgewood
Dyad Plays Jazz Arias - 8 PM
113 Cottage Place
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
USA
201-444-6225
Price: $20 on website: $25 at the door; Kids 18 and under $5
The next installment of the highly rated Dyad series: Jazz Arias features more of the unique artistry of Eric Olsen and Lou Caimano. Music includes famous arias from Carmen, Otello, Don Giovanni, Pagliacci, and other operas, given the same eloquent and passionate improvisations which have made Dyad Plays Puccini such a wonderful success.
Friday, June 12th, 2015
Ocean County College Jazz Festival
Dyad Plays Puccini - 3 PM
1 College Drive
Toms River, NJ 08754
USA
(732) 255-0400
Price: TBA
Dyad will be performing and giving a Master Class at Ocean County College's first ever jazz festival.
Saturday, April 12th, 2014
Opera, Champagne, and a Little Jazz
Fundraising Concert for Opera Theater of Montclair - 8 to 11 PM
16 Prospect Avenue
Montclair, NJ 07042
USA
Price: $40
Come support Opera Theatre of Montclair while having a fun evening of food, champagne and music. On Saturday, April 12, 8-11PM, Brian and Christina Cattell are graciously opening their lovely 1917 Craftsman Colonial home for this event. The acclaimed jazz duo DYAD (Eric Olsen, piano, and Lou Caimano, alto saxophone) will open the program with arrangements from their new CD, DYAD Plays Puccini. OTM sopranos, Rosa D'Imperio, La Toya Lewis and Mia Riker-Norrie, and baritone Jim Pierce will be accompanied by Rebecca Eng, piano, in arias and ensembles by Bellini, Gershwin, Massenet, Mozart, Verdi and Wagner. There will be an auction of voice lessons, private performances and MAYBE some opera memorabilia! Advance tickets are HIGHLY recommended as space is limited. $40.00 entitles you to our three-hour opera party including food, champagne, fun company, live jazz and operatic performances in one of Montclair's historic homes. Plus you will be helping to establish an opera company in Montclair. THANK YOU!
Thursday, April 10th, 2014
Designers on the Block
Interior Designers for Legislation in NY: A Night of Auction and Fun! - 6:30 to 9:30 PM
71 West 23rd Street 18th Floor
New York, NY
USA
518-463-6765
Price: $99; Students $20
DESIGNERS ON THE BLOCK 2 is an updated version of an earlier celebrated and successful auction of donated designer participant services, such as a 2 to 3 hour personal interior design consultation or other service of your choice. The auction “bid price” would be donated by the bidder to IDLNY in exchange for the one time consultation or other service provided by the designer participant.
The designer participant will showcase images of their recent work.
Come and bid! Sway to the live jazz music of DYAD, and share food and drink with your colleagues to celebrate interior design in New York!
Proceeds from ticket sales and auction will go toward funding IDLNY's next steps to further adoption of the Interior Design Practice Act in 2014. IDLNY has partnered with a lobbyist organization to coordinate these efforts.
Sunday, March 30th, 2014
New Providence Library
Dyad Plays Puccini - 2 PM
377 Elkwood Ave
New Providence, NJ 07974
United States
(908)665-0311
Price: Free
Sunday, March 9th, 2014
Luna Stage
Dyad Plays Puccini - 7 PM
555 Valley Road
West Orange, NJ 07052
USA
973 395-5551
Price: $18 in advance, $20 at the door
www.lunastage.org
Sunday, December 29th, 2013
Rockwood Music Hall
Dyad Plays Puccini - 8 PM at Stage 3; Doors open at 7:30 PM
196 Allen Street
New York, NY 10002
212.477.4155
Price: $10 tickets; $10 drink minimum
Friday, October 18th, 2013
Montclair State University, Chapin Hall, Jed Leschowitz Recital Hall
Dyad Plays Puccini - 8 PM
1 Normal Avenue
Montclair, NJ 07043
USA
973-655-4000
Price: Free
Thursday, October 3rd, 2013
The Bitter End
Dyad Plays Puccini CD Release Party - 7:30 PM
147 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 673-7030
Price: $7 Cover; two drink minimum at a table, 1 drink at the bar
Come to our NYC CD Release Party at the Bitter End! This will be the kickoff show for the season!
Friday, September 13th, 2013
Rutherford Congregational Church
Dyad Plays Puccini - 7:30 PM
251 Union Avenue
Rutherford, NJ 07070
USA
201-438-6324
Price: $20 Adults/$10 16 and younger
Sunday, September 1st, 2013
Scanfest 2013
Dyad Plays Puccini - 10 AM to 6 PM
Vasa Park at Wolfe Road
Budd Lake, NJ 07840
USA
Price: Adults $14; Seniors $13, Children 12 and under free
Come hear Dyad play their unique renditions of Puccini arias at Viking Hall at Budd Lake, NJ! Featuring all things Scandinavian, Eric has been a featured performer at the venue for the past six years! Come for the food, the fun, and the music!
www.scanfest.org