A remarkable tennis-playing young pianist from Harlem makes a splash in Baltimore’s jazz scene
[Photo credit: Michael Friedman]
Pianist Aidan Francia Cotter grew up in Harlem in a home filled with music – his mother, grandmother, and great aunt were all pianists, and his grandfather was a jazz pianist. Not too surprisingly, young Francia Cotter followed in their footsteps, starting with classical music and then adding jazz around age 13 – just about the time his grandfather died. He hopes that in that short span of time, his grandfather was pleased with what he heard.
LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts, where Francia Cotter was a student, had a notable jazz program, and he joined the big band on piano, mentored by Kevin Blancq, trumpeter with the Harlem Village Brass Band, and also taking private lessons with Ben Rosenblum, pianist and founder of Ben Rosenblum Nebula Project. Rosenblum would take his protégé out to the clubs to hear the important figures in New York City jazz. Soon the teenager was out playing every Wednesday night, sight-reading charts and getting exposure to the local jazz scene, at a mid-town club called Swing 46 (recently closed and re-opened under new ownership as Jazz Cultural).
All this while playing competitive tennis – Francia Cotter’s other great love since the age of five. While in high school, he played in the Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program. After high school, desire for a change of scene led him to choose Loyola University in Baltimore. There he joined both the jazz program and the Division 1 Men’s Tennis team—and, incidentally, majoring in international business. And as if all of that weren’t enough, recently learning to play bass, which he says helps him become more aware of how different parts of the band interact.
A week after arriving in Baltimore, he discovered the Bright Moments jazz jam at Keystone Korner and came to sit in. That first night, he sat in with Brandon Woody (trumpet), Blake Meister (bass), and Charles Wilson (drums)—three of Baltimore’s heavy hitters in jazz. He recalls that they played “Softly as in a Morning Sunrise” at a blazing tempo. Right away, the band leader, bassist Obasi Akoto, liked him enough to book him into the house band. During last summer’s break, Francia Cotter would take the train back and forth between Harlem and Baltimore, just to keep on the gig. He names Akoto, Blancq, and Rosenblum as the most important influences on his development, along with drummer Amin Gumbs and guitarist Ahmed Warshanna, who has also been like a “big brother” to him, mentoring him about the business of jazz.
In September of 2025, Francia Cotter played at Keystone Korner with guitarist Leo Sandoval’s band, including Will Hazelhurst (bass) and Claudio Silva (drums). Sandoval is also a Loyola jazz student. I first heard Francia Cotter play in December of 2025 at Caton Castle with Akoto’s band. Since then, Francia Cotter has played with numerous Baltimore jazz notables, including Sean Jones and Eric Kennedy at Takoma Station; Tim Green at Caton Castle; Brandon Woody at a Contemporary Arts fundraiser; with Gracie Jay at Tagliata; with Anna-Lisa Kirby at Order of the Ace and at the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival; and with Kirby, Akoto, Gumbs, Clarence Ward III, Tedd Baker, Paul Carr, and Andrea Brachfeld at Keystone Korner’s Bright Moments jam session.
For the last two years, he has been playing in a septet that his high school friends called “In Transit,” with alto and tenor saxophones, trumpet, guitar, piano, bass and drums. Playing at venues around NYC and rehearsing with this band has been one of the highlights of his musical journey so far. They play standards, and a Roy Hargrove repertoire, as well as original compositions by their guitarist, Kai Uemura. The band will be playing in early September at the Toronto Undergraduate Jazz Fest.
Francia Cotter’s favorite pianists include Kenny Barron, Kenny Kirkland, and Red Garland. He appreciates Barron’s control and how he “hears what he plays;” he aims to emulate how Barron is deliberate about his choices, giving meaning, harmonically or emotionally, to every note and avoiding “overplaying.” He admires how Kirkland takes more rhythmic liberties in his playing, and loves how on Miles Davis’s album, Relaxin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet, Red Garland’s right hand swings hard while keeping his left hand solid on the “and” of two and the “and” of four – a “perfect” combination. Some of his favorite Baltimore players are Lucas Netto (sax) and Rayah Thomas (bass). He admires Sandoval’s original and challenging compositions.
Just having finished his sophomore year at Loyola, Francia Cotter is trying to figure out a direction for his life. Tennis or jazz? He is not sure he wants to make either his living – which inevitably would involve some compromises. With jazz, he doesn’t want the financial pressures to diminish his love of the music and turn it into “work”. However, he prides himself on his work ethic—during his first semester at Loyola, he practiced three hours a day, and he is always striving to improve both in tennis and music. He takes his gigs seriously, learning the music and aiming to make everyone in the band sound good.
Francia Cotter has found a relaxed and welcoming environment in our “tight-knit” Baltimore jazz community. He appreciates the supportive, collegial vibe, which contrasts to the somewhat dauntingly competitive spirit in New York City jazz. His debut on “Softly” at Keystone Korner notwithstanding, he notices that jazz players here don’t quite so frequently play at the same blistering tempos that are common at New York City clubs like Smalls. But he admires Baltimore’s high level of musicianship.
What will the future bring for this dedicated young man? Will he be swinging his racket at the Arthur Ashe Stadium against legendary tennis stars Ben Shelton or Taylor Fritz? Will he be making waves in the fast-paced realm of international business? Or holding down the keys at Dizzy’s or Smalls with the greats of the Big Apple? If jazz is in his future, let’s hope it’s here in Baltimore.
–by Liz Fixsen
Liz is a small-time jazz pianist and vocalist, and a big-time jazz enthusiast, leader of two Baltimore area jam sessions. She edits and writes for the Baltimore Jazz Alliance (BJA) newsletter and serves on the BJA board.