" data-original-title="" title="">Harold Mabern, who died two months earlier on September 17. The majority of performers that night were recognizable jazz veterans, but there were also some memorable performances by young upcoming artists. One of those was pianist {Caelan Cardello}, a sophomore at William Paterson University, who played with a WPU quartet that performed Mabern's "Edward Lee." Cardello will be graduating from William Paterson in May, and he was able to study with Mabern for 1 ? years. "He was one of my main inspirations and motivations," he said. "Every time I would walk into a lesson with him, he would start playing immediately. He did not waste one second, and he had amazing stories about Coltrane and Monk. I truly miss him. When you were playing with him and asking questions, he really showed that he cared about you."

When Cardello was four years old, growing up in Teaneck, NJ, he started studying cello. "That lasted for about six months," he said. "The teacher informed my parents that every time she showed up, I immediately went to the piano and started playing it. So, they got me a piano teacher, Lauren Hooker." Cardello's interest in jazz was initially inspired by the