About

The Pietra Group is a jazz-fusion group performing original compositions by brothers Joe and Mario Pietra. Their music draws from jazz traditions of spontaneity and improvisation, while expanding upon short-form jazz with a more narrative, programmatic form. Following the success of their debut album, Remote Narration (2013), The Pietra Group won a Syracuse Area Music Award for their studio album, People Chain (2021). Joining Mario (bass) and Joe (piano and synthesizer) to perform new original compositions from their upcoming album The Forgotten Field, are guitarists Matthew Albeck and Drew Serafini, vibraphonist Matt Hoffmann, drummer Byron Cage, and percussionist Josh Dekaney. The album contrasts musical styles and forms, shifting between acoustic and electronic, orchestrated to improvised, large ensemble to small group within each song.

Joe Pietra

Joe Pietra is jazz pianist and composer from Upstate New York. He is co-leader of The Pietra Group, playing piano and synthesizers for original compositions by himself and his brother Mario Pietra, including those on Remote Narration (2013) and upcoming release, People Chain. In addition, Joe actively performs with his own trio, Trio 315, and with a variety of other musical projects in the northeast, including The Matt Hoffmann Quintet. Joe started playing piano at a young age, studying classical repertoire and jazz soon after.

Mario Pietra

Mario Pietra is an upright and electric bassist, composer, and educator from Upstate New York. He performs and records actively in the northeast with a variety of jazz groups, orchestras, and other musical projects. Mario is the bassist and co-leader of The Pietra Group, a jazz-fusion group performing compositions by his brother Joe Pietra and himself, including those on Remote Narration (2013) and People Chain(2021). Mario holds a master’s degree in music from Syracuse University.  He is a section bassist in the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra, and the principal bassist of The Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes. Mario also is an assistant professor at SUNY Oswego where he teaches upright and electric bass, composition and music theory.

Band Members

Byron Cage

Byron Kidd Cage is an Upstate New York musician turned world traveling artist. A multi-genre instrumentalist, producer, teacher and performer. Grammy award nominee with a wide range of influences, Byron has become a versatile player working in multiple genres of music throughout the industry.

Endorsements: Los Cabos Drum Sticks, Sensaphonic, Evans, Ahead Armor Cases, Rim Riser

Plays: Pearl Drums and Meinl Cymbals

Matt Hoffmann

Matt Hoffmann is a vibraphonist, drummer and educator. Graduating with an MM in Jazz Studies from Purchase College in 2011, Matt has played such venues as Lincoln Center, the Blue Note, The Bickford Theatre and the Summit Jazz Festival. He has performed throughout the country with swing artists Allan Vache, Mark Shane, Dan Levinson, and Dave Bennett, and recorded two albums as a leader Daydream (2006) and Communion (2014).  He currently lives in the Catskill region of NY with his wife and two kids and works in Special Education at the Center for Discovery and continues to perform and write.

Matthew Albeck

Matthew Albeck began studying guitar at age 11 and started his first band Anatomy at age 13. He studied and performed music throughout high school and college, where he studied pedagogy and began teaching music lessons. After college, his band The Daily Supplement toured the tristate area on the jamband circuit. Next, Matthew moved to New York City to study Jazz Performance at Aaron Copland School of Music. After establishing himself as a unique guitarist on the Brooklyn music scene, Matthew moved to the Catskills and founded a music school, Kenoza Lake Music. He has performed with Hal Galper, Thurman Barker, Nate Zaur, Bob Meyer, Tony Marino, Tyler Dempsey, Robert Kopec, Matthew Hoffman, Ismael Kouyate, Amadou Diallo, and plays lead guitar for International Artist Natu Camara. He leads his own jazz group, the Matthew Albeck Trio.

Drew Serafini

Drew Serafini is a guitarist from Syracuse, NY, specializing in jazz, jazz rock, and jazz funk with more than 15 years of professional solo and ensemble performing experience. He is also a bandleader, composer, arranger and guitar instructor. He earned a Bachelor of Music from Ithaca College. He has played with his trio, as well as many notable Central New York musicians, in clubs and local jazz events. He has appeared on the Sammy-Award winning album Lucid by Gary Carpentier.

Josh Dekaney

Josh Dekaney’s diverse interest in music has led to work with artists: Mary Fahl, Peter Cetera, Kaïssa, Jimmy Haslip, Bria Skonberg, Victor Provost, Sofronio Vasquez, and Aretha Franklin.  Dekaney has recorded drums and percussion on dozens of albums including with his group DOESH and the third solo project All the Americas featuring master percussionist Cyro Baptista. With hundreds of performances in the pit at Syracuse Stage, Dekaney has also performed with the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, the Lexington Philharmonic, the Binghamton Philharmonic, the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, Symphoria, and the Spelman College Glee Club.   

Since 2001 Dekaney has been a Part Time Instructor of Percussion at Syracuse University in Syracuse, NY teaching: drum set, hand percussion, American music & improvisation, as well as Samba Laranja: The SU Brazilian Ensemble which has performed for thousands of public school students and shows at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

  Dekaney was a featured artist of the Batuka! 2010 International Drum Fest in São Paulo, Brazil.  His love for Brazilian music has led him to travel extensively throughout the country studying folk and popular music as well as working with artists Vera Figueiredo, Flavio Pimenta, As Calungas, & Tribores.  He currently performs with Samba Laranja, Mary Fahl, Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers, and hosts the Sunday jam session at Funk n Waffles in Syracuse, NY.  He has published solos for drum set and vibraphone in The Blue Book volumes I, II, III by TapSpace and Three Movements for Drum Set with Ox and Lamb.

Dekaney proudly performs on Paiste cymbals, Evans drumheads, Vic Firth sticks, and Pearl drums and percussion.    www.joshdekaney.com @dekaneydrumsusa