JAZZ PIANO: FOUR GENERATIONS
2008-2009 - Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey
October 1, 2008 - Ray Bryant IJS inaugurates a new series of four solo piano recitals featuring noted jazz artists of different generations with piano legend Ray Bryant. One of the most accomplished solo pianists, as well as a noted composer, Bryant has recorded with several generations of jazz greats, from swing veterans like Coleman Hawkins and Charlie Shavers to modern icons Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins. He performed to universal acclaim at the IJS-sponsored Fats Waller Centennial Celebration in 2004. In addition to the musical performance, each event will feature an oral history segment during which the artist will discuss his/her life and career with a host from IJS. |
Ray Bryant photo by Ed Berger |
November 5, 2008 - Eric Reed When you think of hard-driving swing, daring expression, sophistication and elegance in artistry, formidable technique and a thunderous sound, there are only a very small handful of contemporary pianists you think of and one of them is most assuredly Eric Reed . Eric has garnered great notice with Wynton Marsalis’ Septet (1990-91; 1992-95) and spent two years with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (1996-98), making countless recordings and TV appearances with them. Reed also worked in the bands of Freddie Hubbard and Joe Henderson (1991-92). In 2005, Eric formed a quartet with fellow Los Angelean Willie Jones III, bassist Gerald Cannon and tenor & soprano saxophonist Stacy Dillard, and they hit the performing circuit vigorously. A recent recording, on the MaxJazz label, is entitled “Here” and features drummer Willie Jones III and bassist Rodney Whitaker.
|
Eric Reed |
February 4 , 2009 - Brandon McCune Born in 1976, Brandon McCune is a Chicago native who currently makes his home in Newark, NJ. His musical studies began at age three, when his parents enrolled him in the Suzuki Method of Classical Piano. For the past eighteen years, he has been an experienced Professional Musician (pianist, organist, drummer, trumpeter, bassist, vocalist, and choir director) serving as a principal music instructor, composer, counselor, arranger, and performer with a special concentration in the jazz, classical and gospel genres. Brandon was selected through a national audition as a 1998-1999 U.S. Jazz Ambassador to Africa, where he traveled abroad representing the United States performing public and private concerts, master classes and workshops. He has worked as a band leader, music director, or as a sideman for artists such as Abbey Lincoln, Terrence Blanchard, Nneena Freelon, Betty Carter, Miki Howard, Wynton Marsalis, Ted Dunbar, Larry Ridley,Russell Malone, Lenora Zenzalai Helm, Mark Gross, Antonio Hart and Orbert Davis.
|
Brandon McCune |
March 11 , 2009 - Geri Allen Geri Allen (b. 1957) One of the most gifted players of her generation, the Detroit native was recently honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship. The New York Times has called her "a jazz pianist who dares to follow an unmarked road." Allen has a special connection with IJS: she is a major interpreter of the music of Mary Lou Williams, for which IJS is the official repository. |
Geri Allen photo by John Abbott |
April 15, 2009 - Joan Stiles "Stiles writes and plays brilliantly with great respect for melody and clarity. "She is an authentic original,” says Dave Frishberg about pianist/ composer - arranger Joan Stiles. Bill Milkowski compares her to piano legends when he writes, “swings with wit and verve brimming with the joyous flair of a Wynton Kelly or Erroll Garner.” Since 2000, Stiles has been actively involved with the music of Mary Lou Williams. A review of her “Mostly Mary Lou” concert sums it up, “Stiles is a skilled musical architect, dedicated to the craft of balance and dynamics, of blend and boldness. She is more than just a graceful interpreter of Mary Lou, Duke and Monk; her playing illuminated the masterpieces she made her own.” - Michael Hochandel, The Daily Gazette . . Joan Stiles is also an active Jazz educator - a full-time faculty member of Manhattan School of Music and instructor of theory and piano at the New School University Jazz Program .
|
|
|
