Mike Carabello Trio
The Cannon
New Haven
Nov. 6, 2025
The crowd packed into The Cannon Thursday night was in for a treat: The Mike Carabello Trio had not performed in that night’s particular configuration since 2022, and never in New Haven. Last night it was Mike Carabello on the keys, his brother Anthony Carabello on the guitar and “extended family” Avery Collins on the drums.
The gig was for New Haven Jazz Underground, a collective that showcases different musicians every show as they play around the city. Mike, who has been playing the piano for 20 years, has performed with Underground founder/trumpeter Nick Di Maria since college. Much like the Underground, the Hartford-based Mike Carabello Trio often performs in different groupings, but as Mike said, it has “the same repertoire of songs, so it’s easy to mix and match people. Some of it is improvisation but a lot of it is a language.”
The music began softly Thursday night as Mike felt his way on the keys, echoed by the drum and guitar. Then brothers Mike and Anthony made eye contact as they zipped up the melody. The music revved up in an instant, filling the space with an outpouring of sound.
The first tune started off bouncy with sonorous starts and stops, the ostinato taking different shapes, as it slid into a smooth groove underscored by the syncopated beat of the drum. Even without the saxophones and bass, their performance of Herbie Hancock’s “Butterfly” was a lively, yet soothing rendition.
Mike’s arrangement of John Coltrane’s “Resolution,” the second song, had a swinging rhythm and playful guitar line. Mike’s fingers danced on the keys as all three musicians got absorbed into the groove, wagging their heads and making faces of serious contentment.
Brooding textured piano chords spilled over each other, opening the next song, Robert Glasper’s “F.T.B.” Then in came the sharp accentuation of the twinkling hi-hat and drums along with a mellow, laidback guitar. And in their hands, the instrumentation of Roy Hargrove’s “Roy Allan” was lush.
The Mike Carabello Trio ended the evening with what the author had been yearning for — a tribute to the late, great D’Angelo, through a performance of “Spanish Joint.” The pulsing rhythm, rounded out with shimmering cymbals, highlighted Anthony’s expressive guitar playing.
One could feel the kinship and comfort between the musicians, and it was reflected in their tight arrangements and seamless playing. Stay tuned as the members of the trio and collective work on a 2026 jazz festival for New Haven!
