Recorded in Rome, the city of his birth, the album brings De Gregorio full circle after two decades performing in cities including Paris, Casablanca, Monte Carlo, Detroit and New York. At its heart, Interrogations and Investigations is a homecoming—one shaped by grief, friendship, and the desire to reconnect with the roots of his artistic voice.

“This wasn’t a planned recording session,” De Gregorio shares. “It began as a spontaneous reunion between friends who wanted to share the gift of jazz. But once we started playing, I realised how important it was to document this moment—musically and personally.”

Featuring Nicola Angelucci on drums and Francesco Pierotti on bass, the trio navigates a vibrant set of mostly original compositions. The album moves freely between lyrical ballads, bluesy vignettes, and modern jazz textures, with subtle nods to De Gregorio’s time in Morocco and France.

Rooted in the piano trio tradition, the record also explores the boundaries of that form, with references to chanson française, post-bop interplay, and impressionistic colours. The album includes two standards—Gershwin’s “Summertime” and Keith Jarrett’s “Prism”—but the bulk of the material is De Gregorio’s own, showcasing a compositional voice that balances sophistication with clarity.

From the energetic “Running to NYC” to the reflective “Goodbye” and the Monk-inspired closer, ‘Interrogations and Investigations’ offers a wide emotional palette without ever losing its sense of cohesion.

A two-time international award winner—first prize at the Luca Flores Jazz Piano Competition (Florence, 2009) and then at the Monte Carlo International Jazz Soloist Competition (2015)—De Gregorio’s career has included collaborations with Ari Hoenig, Ike Sturm, Greg Hutchinson, David Reinhardt (Django Reinhardt’s nephew), Joel Frahm, and Jonathan Blake. His work has been shaped as much by lived experience as by academic research: years immersed in diverse jazz communities have given him a unique sense of phrasing, language, and connection.

Now based in New York, where Joe recently featured legendary Ron Carter and Peter Erskine for the Van Gelder Studio recording session of his upcoming release, De Gregorio continues to tour and compose internationally. Fluent in five languages even as a vocalist Joe maintains an active role as an educator. But with this album, the message is as much personal as professional.

“Jazz is a question mark,” he says, echoing Wayne Shorter. “This album is an open invitation to maintain a state of openness towards the unknown as an opportunity to pursue a higher level consciousness”.