Okonski
Steve Okonski of Durand Jones & The Indications leads a dusty, late-night soul-jazz piano trio on Colemine Records, with Guaraldi warmth after hours.
Festivals Okonski is playing
Played before (1)
About Okonski
Okonski is a soul-jazz band from Ohio.
Okonski is the trio led by pianist Steve Okonski, based in Asheville, North Carolina, and known separately for his keyboard work in Durand Jones & The Indications. The band is completed by Michael Isvara Montgomery on upright bass and Aaron Frazer on drums, working in a piano-bass-drums format built for mood rather than display.
Much of what the trio records is improvised on the spot and cut straight to tape, with little revision afterward. The results lean into soul-jazz and gospel voicings and the softer end of library and film music, favouring room tone, brushes and restraint over solos, and have been described as meditative and introspective.
The pieces tend to be short and melodic, built around space between notes as much as the notes themselves, closer to mood writing than to a conventional jazz trio session. Okonski has also worked as a collaborator outside the trio, contributing to records by Say She She, BJ the Chicago Kid and Scott McMicken.
All three Okonski releases, including 2025's Entrance Music, have come out on the soul-focused Colemine label.
Soul-jazzPiano trio
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Questions about Okonski
What festivals is Okonski playing in 2027?
Okonski is booked at 1 festival we cover: Treefort 2027.
Is Okonski playing Treefort 2027?
Yes, Okonski is on the Treefort 2027 lineup, March 31 – April 4, 2027 at Boise, ID.
Where is Okonski from?
Okonski is from Ohio.
Who is in Okonski?
Okonski is Aaron Frazer (drums), Michael "Ish" Montgomery (bass) and Steve Okonski (piano).
What was Okonski's first album?
Okonski's first album was Magnolia (2023). The latest is Entrance Music (2025).
What kind of music does Okonski play?
Okonski plays soul-jazz and piano trio.
What festivals has Okonski played before?
Okonski has played Hopscotch 2026.