When Taiwanese-born pianist Jo-Yu Chen moved to New York to study at Juilliard, she had every intention of continuing on the classical career path she’d followed as a student of both piano and oboe. It wasn’t long, however, before she detoured into the world of jazz, continuing her studies at the New School and falling under the influence of adventurous pianists like Jason Moran, Sam Yahel and Kevin Hays.
Within a few years Chen embarked on an ambitious series of collaborations, recording dazzling jazz albums with such modern greats as drummer Tyshawn Sorey (her 2009 debut, Obsession), guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel (Stranger, 2014) and saxophonist Mark Turner (Savage Beauty, 2019) – all on Sony Music, making Chen the first and only Taiwanese jazz artists signed to a major label.
Returning to her native Taiwan while the pandemic raged brought Chen full circle in other ways as well. She found herself reconnecting with fellow classical musicians, many of them also recently returned Juilliard alumni. But she had no intention of leaving her newfound passion for jazz behind.
The result is a deeply personal hybrid of classical and jazz traditions. Chen’s first full-length excursion into this distinctive fusion is Rendezvous: Jazz Meets Beethoven, Tchaikovsky & More. Out May 2, 2025 via Sony Music, Rendezvous is just that – an intimate meeting, two individual styles converging on common ground. The album features reimagined works by five iconic composers, including pieces from three ballet masterpieces. As she has been on every one of her releases to date, Chen – who also produced the album – is joined by the outstanding New York-based rhythm section of bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Tommy Crane.
Two teaser tracks from the album – the trio’s interpretations of the Tchaikovsky classics “The Nutcracker Suite, Opus 71: Dance of the Reed Flutes” and “Swan Lake” – are available now on all digital streaming platforms.
“The Nutcracker Suite, Opus 71: Dance of the Reed Flutes” LISTEN HERE
“Swan Lake” LISTEN HERE
Chen resists the term “crossover” to describe her music, implying as it does the encroachment of one style into another. Having spent significant portions of her musical life immersed in both the classical and jazz realms, finding a meeting point for the two comes naturally to the pianist. “I disconnected from the classical world when I moved to New York, but the sound always stayed inside me,” she explains. “I felt it was about time to integrate them.”
She made her first foray into that integration in 2023, composing a piece called “Walking Through Fear” for piano and string quartet, releasing the new work as a single. Driven by striking contrapuntal writing for string quartet and bold, electrifying piano improvisation, the piece earned a nomination for Best Instrumental Composer at Taiwan’s 35th Golden Melody Awards. “It reminded me how much fun it is to work with top-notch string musicians,” Chen says.
She followed that effort by taking on two of classical music’s most iconic composers through a jazz lens with the 2024 EP Schubert & Mozart: ‘Round Midnight. The four-track release grew out of an invitation to perform at the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts’ 2022 24-Hour Schubert Festival. Chen’s trio was slated for the midnight hour.
“I was worried that people wouldn’t come out because it was so late,” she recalled. “But the concert hall was full of people. It’s a unique opportunity – could you imagine having the chance to sleep over in Carnegie Hall?”
Chen returned the following year, when the composer of choice was Mozart, after which she put four of her arrangements together for the ‘Round Midnight EP. In 2024 the marathon was dedicated to Beethoven, and again Chen returned and was inspired.
Rendezvous begins with a mash-up of two Beethoven classics: “Symphony No. 5” and the “Moonlight Sonata.” Together they meet on a grand, increasingly intense scale that supports Chen’s contention that the composer was “a rock star in his era, with his powerful sonics and rebelliousness.” On the opposite end of the spectrum is Chen’s solo rendition of the second movement of “Sonata No. 8,” the “Pathétique,” sounding spacious and hushed. The unaccompanied turn spotlights the pianist’s ability to delve deep into the emotional core of a piece of music, wringing profound feeling from the piece in a way that bridges the centuries since its writing and reframes it in a moving and captivating form.
Looking for some respite from this oppressive Germanic thunder, Chen turned for contrast to the Russian canon. Throughout the album’s first half, Beethoven alternates with Tchaikovsky, beginning with the “Dance of the Reed Flutes” from “The Nutcracker Suite,” built on the foundation of Tordini’s insistent pulse. The bassist also states the indelible melody of “Swan Lake” in Chen’s graceful arrangement.
Continuing with the Russian oeuvre, Chen also arranged a pair of pieces by Sergei Prokofiev, transforming “Piano Concerto No. 2” into a sensual tango and adding a dose of swing feel to the “Dance of the Knights” from “Romeo & Juliet.” “The Old Castle,” from Modest Mussorgsky’s oft-reinterpreted “Pictures at an Exhibition,” is offered as an Old World counterpart to the contemporary feel of Chen’s own “Castle,” recorded with Kurt Rosenwinkel on Stranger.
The final selection is “Pavane Pour Une Infante Défunte,” in honor of the 150th anniversary or composer Maurice Ravel’s birth on March 7. Chen had originally planned the piece as another solo piano outing, but Tordini urged her to try it with the trio. The elegant take on Rendezvous is a testament to the trio’s deep chemistry, achieving stunning effect on the spur of the moment, drawing to a whispered close with the rattle of Crane’s brushes.
Innovation ultimately becomes tradition, only to be challenged anew by innovation. Jo-Yu Chen exemplifies that cycle brilliantly on Rendezvous: Jazz Meets Beethoven, Tchaikovsky & More, interweaving two stellar traditions in heartfelt and innovative fashion to create something uniquely her own.
Rendezvous: Jazz Meets Beethoven, Tchaikovsky & More
1. Beethoven - Symphony No. 5 / Piano Sonata Moonlight
2. Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker: Dance of the Reed Flutes
3. Beethoven - Sonata No. 8, Pathétique 2nd Movement
4. Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake
5. Prokofiev - Romeo and Juliet: Dance of the Knights
6. Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition: The Old Castle
7. Prokofiev - Piano Concerto #2
8. Ravel - Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte
