Perdomo's first paying gig was at age 12.[1] From an early age, he played on Venezuelan TV and radio stations.[citation needed] He says his early gigs in Venezuela were dance music and then traditional Venezuelan music, and that his first jazz gig was at age 15 a hotel in Venezuela. He says soon after that, he played as the house pianist at Juan Sebastian Bar, a jazz club in Caracas.[1]
Perdomo says he visited New York City at age 19 to hang out, returned later, won a scholarship audition for the Manhattan School of Music, and moved there permanently at age 22.[1]
He said, "I used to play, in addition to Juan Sebastian Bar, with a lot of jazz artists. I also had a real good pop gig that was paying a lot of money. I was doing fairly well, but I always thought I was a big fish in a small pond. I didn't want to do that. I wanted to come to New York. I sold all my equipment and moved."[1]
Venezuelan percussionist Marlon Simon claimed Perdomo as one of the 1995 founding members of his band the Nagual Spirits who recorded and toured internationally.[2][3]
By 2001, Perdomo had arrived on the New York scene "playing hard-punching Latin jazz," as Bill Ratliff wrote in the New York Times.[4] Among other engagements, he appeared as a regular member of Puerto Rican bassist John Benítez's New York trio with drummer Tony Cintron.[5]
In 2002, Perdomo joined saxophonist Ravi Coltrane's superlatively-reviewed quartet with double-bassist Drew Gress and drummer E. J. Strickland. The four toured and recorded together at least until 2012.[6][7][8][1] Perdomo's first album as leader, Focus Point, was produced by Coltrane. Recorded in 2003, it was released by Coltrane's label, RKM Music, in 2005.[1][9] In a 2012 interview for All About Jazz, Perdomo said about Coltrane, "...whatever he says really makes sense. I totally trust him, blindly. I've played in his band for so many years. He knows what I like, musically. When we're in the studio and he's up there listening, I know he's in touch with what I want to express musically."[1]
By 2004, he was playing in Miguel Zenón's well-regarded regular band with Hans Glawischnig on bass and Antonio Sanchez on drums.[10] Zenón called it his "dream band."[11] Perdomo and Zenón were students together at the Manhattan School of Music and have been making music together on the New York scene since at least before 2001.[5]
In 2016, the pianist led Controlling Ear Unit, a group including drummer Rudy Royston and bassist and vocalist Mimi Jones who is also Perdomo's wife.[12][13]
Since 2017, Perdomo was listed as part of the music faculty at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College in New York. As of 2024 he was still serving there as adjunct professor teaching jazz performance in piano.[14][15][16]
Ratliff compared his playing style to Steve Coleman,[30] Danilo Perez,[30] Vijay Iyer,[30] and Dave Holland.[30] Others have heard in his music the influence of Chick Corea[9], Bill Evans,[9] Keith Jarrett,[9] Herbie Hancock,[9] and McCoy Tyner.[9] His own stated influences are Bud Powell,[1] Oscar Peterson,[1] John Coltrane,[1] Albert Ayler,[1] Jack DeJohnette,[1] Ray Bryant,[1] and Cecil Taylor.[1]
Others he has played with are Ralph Irizarry and Timbalaye, Dave Douglas, Tom Harrell, Henry Threadgill, Steve Turre, David Weiss and Robin Eubanks.
Education
At the age of 10, Perdomo became a student of the Vienna-born Venezuelan musical icon, pianist Gerry Weil,[31] and says he remained Weil's student until age 20.[1]
"The biggest lesson I received from Gerry Weil in Venezuela was to keep my mind open to all types of music," Perdomo said.[32][33]
At the Manhattan School of Music, where Perdomo earned his Bachelor of Music in 1997, he studied with pianist Harold Danko. Perdomo graduated with a Master's degree from Queens College where he studied with the legendary pianist Sir Roland Hanna.[34][15][16][17]
At the Manhattan School of Music he was also a student of classical pianist Martha Pestalozzi. Luis also cites Jaki Byard as one of his teachers.[32][33]
Personal Life
Perdomo is married to double-bassist and vocalist Mimi Jones with whom he also performs.[13][35]
Discography as leader
Focus Point (RKM 2005)
Favorably-reviewed[9][36]Focus Point was Perdomo's first recording as leader. RKM Music released the album in 2005. Produced by Ravi Coltrane who also contributes musically, it features Perdomo in shifting ensembles with drummer Ralph Peterson Jr., saxophonist Miguel Zenón, and bassist Carlo DeRosa. The New York Times called the music "energetically limber."[1][30][37]
Awareness (RKM 2006)
Awareness is Perdomo's 2006 album released by RKM Music. It features him as leader both in a conventional jazz trio and in a less conventional quintet with two bassists and two drummers. Besides Perdomo, consistent personnel on all tracks is bassist Hans Glawischnig and drummer Eric McPherson. Added on the quintet tracks are bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Nasheet Waits. In 2007, highlighting this album, Jason Crane interviewed Perdomo for an episode of the podcastThe Jazz Session.[38][34]
Pathways (Criss Cross, 2008)
Pathways features Perdomo again with Glawischnig and McPherson. The album is a mixture of Perdomo's originals as well as his arrangements of standards and folk songs. AllMusic's review states, "Of the many piano-bass-drums jazz trio recordings that tumble into the marketplace year after year, this one is notable and a standout from the crowd."[39]
Universal Mind (RKM 2012)
In 2012, RKM Music released Perdomo's superlatively reviewed Universal Mind, a trio album with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Jack DeJohnette whom Perdomo says had been one of his major musical influences, even back to his early years in Venezuela. The New York Times wrote that "it exudes such strong, uncluttered conviction that it feels like a forward leap."[1][37]
The Infancia Project (Criss Cross 2012)
Also in 2012, the Criss Cross label released Perdomo's The Infancia Project which features Perdomo with tenor saxophonist Mark Shim, drummer Ignacio Berroa, percussionist Mauricio Herrera, and bassist Andy Gonzáles. In an intentional nod to Perdomo's cultural origins, the group performs Latin versions of jazz standards as well as the pianist's own compositions.[40]
Links (Criss Cross, 2013)
Twenty-Two (Hot Tone, 2015)
This CD includes Perdomo's band, Controlling Ear Unit, with bassist Mimi Jones and drummer Rudy Royston
Montage (Hot Tone, 2016)
Responding to Perdomo's solo album Montage, the New York Times wrote in 2016 that the project confirmed "his strong foothold in a modern harmonic continuum."[41]
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