About the Artist

About Lara Driscoll:

A Chicago native of French-American descent, Lara Driscoll has been praised for her “captivating style and uncluttered finesse” (CKVL-FM, Montreal). Downbeat’s Suzanne Lorge noted the “understated arrangements and meltingly delicious voicings” of Lara’s 2020 trio debut Woven Dreams. After earning her Bachelor’s in Jazz Piano from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, she earned a Master’s in Jazz Performance from McGill University’s Schulich School of Music on a full-tuition scholarship. She has received the Luminarts Graduate Jazz Composition, Performance and People’s Choice awards, and has performed at the Chicago jazz establishments as well as internationally, including the Montreal Jazz Festival. Driscoll is on faculty at Harold Washington College and DePaul and Loyola Universities. She is busy as a freelance pianist in the Chicago area, and in addition to her trio and the Firm Roots Duo, she can be heard as pianist and arranger on vocalist Nancy Lane’s Let Me Love You, as well as recordings by the groups Bossa Nuevo and Tango Espejo.

About Abigail Riccards:

Abigail Riccards has garnered much attention from the jazz community for her effortless swing, heartbreaking tone, and personalized approach to lyrics. Abigail’s inimitable approach to the Great American Songbook has made her one of the most celebrated jazz vocalists of her generation.

Performing in Chicago since 2011, Abigail has quickly established herself as one of the rising vocalists on the scene. She has performed at many of the city’s top jazz clubs with some of Chicago’s most respected musicians, headlining at venues such as the Green Mill, the Jazz Showcase, Katerina’s, and Andy’s Jazz Club.

About Firm Roots Duo:

Lara and Chris first met as students of pianist John “Chip” Stephens at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.   The Duo is named for the ebullient Cedar Walton composition “Firm Roots,” which was also the recessional at Lara and Chris’ wedding.   Their Firm Roots Duo has performed in Boston, Japan and Thailand, as well as in their native Chicago.  They interpret canonical jazz works by Horace Silver, Ann Ronell and more, drawing on the influences of piano heroes Hank Jones, Art Tatum and Phineas Newborn in the original material co-composed by Lara and Chris.

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