The Greg Spero Trio

Greg Spero has been studying piano independently for his life, and has studied jazz piano with world-renowned musicians including Chip Stephens, Joan Hickey, and Chip McNeal. He has written the music for several plays including the Chicago Feltre Theater’s performances of Ionesco’s “Exit the King” and two Tennessee Williams one-acts. He has composed music for films such as Joe Burgess’ “The Perfect Breakup”, and produces R&B/Hip-Hop for New-York singer Guia Rivera. His most recent recording on Frank Catalano’s Mighty Burner album debuted at 11 on the Jazz Billboard Charts, and after 20 weeks on the Billboards became a best-selling jazz album for 2006. Greg began playing professionally at the age of 14 with a Chicago based blues group called "The Slack Daddies". Throughout his high school career he participated in and directed several musical ensembles, ranging from jazz to rock, spanning the gamut all the way to heavy metal. He then went on to study Jazz Piano and Composition at University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana where he received his BA in Music Composition and Jazz Piano Performance. He currently performs with his self-titled Jazz-Fusion trio and other groups such as the Frank Catalano Quintet at such venues as the House of Blues Chicago, The Green Mill, Andy’s Jazz Club, Martyrs, Fitzgerald's, and Wise Fool's Pub, and performs with other musicians such as Harrison Bankhead, and Leon Joyce (of the Ramsey Lewis Trio), Frank Russell, Dede Sampio, and Robert Lee Irving III (the latter three of the Miles Davis ensembles). Greg’s influences range from Oscar Peterson to Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock, to Stravinsky and Schoenberg. Greg draws influence from american-born jazz and Spanish flamenco rhythm, but finds great inspiration in the hardcore head-banging western electric distortion, along with the heavy-hitting groove-based hip-hop rhythms. Greg Spero is often recognized as one of the premiere up-and-coming pianists in Chicago.
Live trio performance of "For Allison" at the Kinetic Playground (part 1)
Live trio performance of "For Allison" at the Kinetic Playground (part 2)
The Greg Spero Trio - Summertime
Greg Spero Solo Arrangement of When I Fall in Love
The Greg Spero Trio - Fried Bananas
Greg Spero with Jennifer Hartswick and Kris Myers at the Metro