From THE AMERICAN RAG, "On the Festival Trail - Gratitude for Thanksgiving in San Diego" by Don Jones (commenting upon the 2011 San Diego Thanksgiving Dixieland Jazz Festival) [Dec. 2011/Jan. 2012, pg. 2]:

Jazz fans had their smiles stretched from ear to ear and their forehead frowns were seldom seen. They were particularly enthusiastic about two new performers invited for the first time: young pianist Stephanie Trick from Saint Louis, Missouri, and the young California group, the Red Skunk Jipzee Swing band from Pismo Beach/San Luis Obispo. Mixing the young with those longer in the tooth gave all of us something to celebrate with a large dose of gratitude for their delightful performances.

ONLINE RADIO INTERVIEW with Stephanie Trick and Frederick Hodges by Susan Brender ("Masters of Stride Piano" on "V for Vitality") [12/14/11], on womensradio.com. (22:59 MP3)

DAVID LEWIS REVIEW of Stephanie Trick LIVE on CD Baby [10/14/11]:

"Stephanie Trick Live" is taken from a concert at the Sheldon Concert Hall in her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. The crowd is warm and receptive, and the live recording is of studio quality; apart from the faint room sound and the periodic interruption of applause, there are none of the usual vagaries of "live" recording projects found here. Trick maintains an intimate connection with the listener throughout the course of this disc, which has a more expansive range of selection than any of her previous releases; moving from Luckey Roberts' cutting contest specialty "Nothin'" (written circa 1908) to Trick's own "Blues for Alfie," not long in existence before this recording was made.

Trick also acquits herself as an able arranger and improviser on popular tunes from Tin Pan Alley and elsewhere, and her facility expands well beyond that of an expert interpreter to the status of a creative, and highly original, artist. Beyond such considerations, "Stephanie Trick Live" is inexhaustibly exciting to listen to; from the subtle shades of her thoughtful take on David Thomas Roberts' "Roberto Clemente" to the explosively virtuosic rendering of James P. Johnson's "Mule Walk," Trick leads the listener from one jaw dropping interpretation to another, seemingly without breaking a sweat. But her playing is so natural, swinging and easygoing that she makes it sound easy.

The sound is so close and direct that the listener feels as though one is sitting on the bench next to her. This was definitely a good night for Stephanie Trick, though it's hard to imagine her having a bad one. Nevertheless, once to the end of "Harlem Strut," happy listeners will no doubt want to turn straight back to "Viper's Drag" and start the whole experience anew; "Stephanie Trick Live" will not sit in the back of the record cabinet.

BULLETIN DU HOT CLUB DE FRANCE [Feb. 2011]:
   – [Issue #598] Review of Stephanie Trick LIVE by Daniel Janissier
          (1.08 MB PDF) | (977 KB PDF)

JAZZ DIXIE/SWING [Feb. 2011]:
   – [Issue #70] Review of Stephanie Trick LIVE by Jacques Pescheux
          (309 KB PDF) | (74 KB PDF)

From DOUG RAMSEY'S BLOG "Rifftides" on ArtsJournal.com [1/31/11]:

[Stephanie] fell in love with [ragtime and stride] and mastered it, and now the worldwide network of stride enthusiasts is in love with her. I wouldn't be surprised to see her following expand to a wider audience. Ms. Trick [is described] as "the real deal" [with a] "rock-solid" left hand. If you're not accustomed to willowy young women emulating James P. Johnson, Fats Waller and Willie The Lion Smith, get used to it, is my advice....

JACK RUMMEL REVIEW of Stephanie Trick LIVE [1/15/11]:   (108 KB PDF)
   "Stephanie Trick is at the top of her form on this album and it's hard to imagine anyone who wouldn't enjoy it and want to own it."

German review [11/3/10] of Stephanie's appearance at Kulturfabrik in Furtwangen, Germany, October 29, 2010. (286 KB PDF) | (81 KB PDF)

SCHWARZWAELDER-BOTE.DE review [11/3/10] of Stephanie's appearance at Kulturfabrik in Furtwangen, Germany, October 29, 2010.    (177 KB PDF) | German newspaper (327 KB PDF) | (81 KB PDF)

Short item by LOUIS MAZETIER [10/10], in Bulletin of the Hot Club of France.  (184 KB PDF)

Radio interview by DAVID LEWIS (Around Cincinnati) [10/10/10], WVXU 89.1 FM Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio. (9:45 MP3)

Radio interview by CARL SONNY LEYLAND (Rhythm Retrospective) [10/8/10], KCBX 90.1 FM Public Radio in San Luis Obispo, CA. See playlist here. And click here if you don't know what a celeste is! (59:00 MP3)

TV SEGMENT [aired 8/28/10], on ABC Channel 20 in Springfield, Illinois. Stephanie played two sets at the Illinois State Fair, August 19, 2010, including "Valentine Stomp" by Fats Waller, heard here. Produced by Brent Barrow for Illinois Central television program. (2:13)

Radio interview by DAVID REFFKIN (The Ragtime Machine) [7/26/10], KUSF 90.3 FM Radio in San Francisco, California. (26:36 MP3)

From CARL HAGER'S BLOG "About Jazz (Jazzers Jazzing)" on allaboutjazz.com [7/25/10]:

[J]ust this last week the lyricist/singer [Lorraine Feather] got together with the phenomenally gifted young pianist, Stephanie Trick, for two days of rehearsal. Already considered by many of her peers to be among the best stride pianists in the world when she was but 21 years old, Trick was invited to perform at the 2008 International Stride and Swing Summit in Boswil, Switzerland and has been invited back again this fall.
     Feather described their first collaboration with admiring praise, saying "...she not only is spectacular but she learned "You're Outa Here" [Feather's lyricised rendition of Waller's "The Minor Drag"] for the occasion, transcribing it herself exactly as Dick Hyman played it [on Feather's recording New York City Drag (Rhombus, 2001)], supporting the melodic or rhythmic variations I did on the original track."
     The result is that [they] are putting together a stride show "we are going to launch [next year]. Irvin Arthur of Park Avenue Talent is booking it."

From NEJAZZ.COM REVIEW of the 2010 Great Connecticut Traditional Jazz Festival:

[T]he biggest surprise of the weekend was 22-year-old Stephanie Trick... [W]ith an impressive knowledge of both early and current Stride, Ragtime and Boogie pianists, she demonstrated their different styles. Knowledgeable ... Stephanie Trick, an accomplished pianist, floored us playing obscure Jelly Roll tunes, then moving into Scott Joplin ragtime, then James P. Johnson stride. She explained who each one was and how their styles differed, and later included some of today's players, Dick Hyman, Neville Dickie. Our music has a future!

JACK RUMMEL REVIEW of Ragtime Tricks:   (126 KB PDF)
   "Originally released in 2006 as her first all-ragtime CD, Stephanie Trick recently made the decision to update the contents of this recording with some new tracks and some new arrangements that match her increasing skill level and her burgeoning reputation.
   "There appears to be no genre that she cannot handle. Her touch is light, yet her fortes command authority; her approach is even and clean at any speed. She displays respect for the scores, yet she is not wedded to them, inserting tasteful departures here and there.
   "Highly recommended."

MERIDEN, CT newspaper article [7/22/10] prior to Stephanie's appearance at The Great Connecticut Traditional Jazz Festival.

SEDALIA, MO newspaper article [6/3/10] on Stephanie's appearance at Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival.

Radio interview by BOB BERNOTAS [5/21/10], UMSL Radio in St. Louis (at Jazz Education Network conference). (4:24)

On TV with TIM EZELL [5/17/10], KTVI FOX 2 in St. Louis. (2:37)

JOHNNY RABBITT interview [5/14/10], on "The Carney Show" on KMOX 1120 AM in St. Louis, MO.  NOTE: The song played at the end is "Viper's Drag," not "Handful of Keys." (12:27 MP3)

DON WOLFF interview [5/11/10], Host of "I Love Jazz" on KFUO 99.1 FM and HEC-TV in St. Louis, MO.  Excerpts from this full interview were aired on Don's show on KFUO on 5/14/10. (17:20 MP3)

PETERS' MUSIC NEWS:
   – [4/12/10] "Stride Pianist Stephanie Trick April 15 at Clairbourn School" by Bill Peters
          (311 KB PDF)
   – [4/16/10] "Great Strides at the Piano: Stephanie Trick re-ignites interest in Ragtime, Stride and Jazz Piano" by Bill Peters
          (299 KB PDF)

JAZZ DIXIE/SWING:
   – [Issue #64] "Nouvelle étoile montante du piano stride" by Jacques Pescheux
          (1.32 MB PDF)
   – [Issue #66] Review of Hear That Rhythm! by Jacques Pescheux
          (262 KB PDF) | (57 KB PDF)

JACK RUMMEL REVIEW of Hear That Rhythm!:   (120 KB PDF)
   "For many years, stride piano was almost exclusively a male-dominated genre. Even today, the number of woman performers whose repertoires are predominantly stride can be counted on one or two fingers. Thus, it’s newsworthy when a new name pops up on the horizon and Stephanie Trick is a name to be remembered.
   "This album restores my faith in stride and novelty pianists. Stephanie Trick can unleash her flying fingers at will, but, unlike some performers whose addiction to speed has caused them to become one-dimensional, she can also put loving introspection where it is warranted.
   "Highly recommended."

   "I met Stephanie for the first time a little over a year ago [in 2007] in Pacific Grove. At that time she was also a very competent, classically trained, ragtime pianist. Now she has started to play Johnson, Waller, and Smith, quite beautifully I might add. She is, in my opinion, the next rising star in the stride world.... It appears that she has the necessary duende to be able to join the inner circle."
         – Dr. Mark Borowsky

   "Stephanie [had] already wowed the more than 250 [St. Louis Ragtimers] fans that packed St. Louis' Sheldon ballroom.... [T]he lissome and vigorous young musician stepped back up to the concert grand as Trebor Jay 'The Professor' Tichenor graciously yielded his seat and stood listening and watching her prodigious talent with an eagle eye and a fine-tuned ear from the sidelines. Her second selection, a rousing stride piano version of the George Gershwin-Earl Wild classic “Liza,” improvising with elaborate riffs on the melody line and concluding with harmonious arpeggios, brought the audience to their feet, cheering to the hall’s intricately illuminated rafters."
         – Peter Green

• "I am just overwhelmed by [Stephanie's] artistry. I thought that stride piano was a lost form of jazz, but am now convinced it was only waiting for Stephanie to sit down at a piano."

• "Stephanie played a Guest shot at [the Ozark Jazz Society] last night [6/6/10]. Introduced by Jeff Barnhart, she played [Luckey Roberts'] Nothin' as Brian Holland and Jeff looked on from the wings with their eyes bugged out at her virtuosic performance. When she finished the piece, the room erupted like the stands exploding after a Packers touchdown. The Crowd Went Wild. That must happen a lot for Stephanie, because she accepted it with unabashed grace, beamed, and left the stage as the audience continued to rave at her amazing accomplishment."

• "When Oscar, James P., Jelly Roll, Fats and Art passed on, it was said that no one could ever recreate that magic. You have the potential along with only 3 or 4 people alive today to fullfil that dream. You are truly wonderful, young lady."

• "Your astounding skills and super smooth style are infectious and a great inspiration to me.... Your style and particularly the tempo changes, and speed with your right hand, it seems that you are having fun 'toying' or 'playing' with the piano in order to get what you do out of it. Fantastic!! I would love to see Fats Waller standing next to you watching you playing his great solo classics. Your control of tempo and touch make your playing crisp, clean, and extremely accurate in spite of your speed."

• "Excellent playing! I am very impressed that you have achieved the level of virtuosity as young as you are in comparison to the great artists who had been doing this for decades."

• "Sometimes contemporary pianists' recordings of stride piano seem a little strained, as if the pianists were playing just at the limits of their abilities. Not so with Ms. Trick; I think she strides better than many other pianists, and seems quite comfortable in the genre. She sounds unstrained, as if she hasn't yet reached the limits of her technique. The existence of young ragtime/stride/jazz/novelty pianists of Ms. Trick's caliber gives us hope for the future."

• "You play with expertise and insight that is just marvelous. You lift up your audience, and they delight in your pieces and your playing of them.... What a glorious time ... being transported to the world of Scott Joplin and his heritage."

• "Your Hear That Rhythm! CD is awesome. I've got it in this CD player that turns on to wake me up in the morning. So every morning it's been 'Space Shuffle' (usually I linger in bed until midway through 'Handful of Keys'). Great way to get up!"

• "You make ragtime and stride come alive for your listeners, and we leave with great joy and buoyancy. You are singular in your work and in your capacity to communicate it."

Got a comment you'd like to share? The form on our Contact page is an easy way to do that!

© Stephanie Trick - www.stephanietrick.com