CHarles Colizza
Guitar
“I believe in teaching through familiar songs and letting the student pick what they want to play. Tunes teach us what we can and can’t do; make us hear first then play later because if you can’t hear it, you for sure can’t play it.”
Born and raised in Montreal, Québec, Charles Colizza is a New York based guitarist rooted in jazz. Established in the city since 2018, he has recorded alongside jazz saxophone legend Billy Drewes and has performed alongside Grammy winning arranger and trombonist Alan Ferber. He has performed in various world-renowned establishments and jazz venues across North America, notably at The Blue Note NYC, Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, The Bitter End, Upstairs and the Williamsburg Music Center. He is also the recipient of the Oscar Peterson Jazz Scholarship Competition.
Charles has graduated from Concordia University with high distinctions (nominated twice to be a Golden Key Society member) and has acquired his Master’s Degree from New York University (NYU) in Jazz Instrumental Performance where he spent time studying with jazz legends Alan Broadbent, John Scofield, Peter Bernstein, Wayne Krantz, etc. He is a 5-time winner of a grant from The Arts Foundation of Laval (FSAL) and has also finished in First Place in the Multidisciplinary Scholarship contest from the same organisation.
Charles has been teaching in Canada and in the USA for the past 6 years and has taught at NYU as a Graduate Adjunct Instructor. He draws his musical influences from all styles and genres, from Stravinsky to John Coltrane and from Milton Nascimento to Young Thug. His sound ranges from modern jazz to avant-garde/free-improvised music. He released his debut album Hug The Devil on December 21st 2020 with his quintet featuring Billy Drewes, Jake D’Ambra, Nick Panoutsos and Lukas Akintaya, recorded by Tyler McDiarmid.