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Athenaeum Jazz at the Neurosciences Institute
Jazz at the Athenaeum || Athenaeum Jazz at the Studio
Chamber Music || Summer Festivals || New Music || Mini-Concerts || Special Concerts
Calendar || Maps and Driving Directions
Athenaeum Music & Arts Library to present concerts showcasing
the rich and varied artistry of jazz."
"Stellar jazz in La Jolla"
was packed with fans primed for the event."
Thursday, March 29, 8:00 P.M.—Chano Dominguez "Flamenco Sketches"
Monday, May 14, 8:00 P.M.—Brad Mehldau Trio
Thursday, May 24, 8:00 P.M.—Kenny Barron, solo piano
The Neurosciences Institute, 10640 John Jay Hopkins Dr., San Diego, CA 92121
Call 858.454.5872 to reserve Series: $75 member/$90 nonmember
The Athenaeum's jazz program returns to The Neurosciences Institute for our annual spring series, featuring three brilliant pianists: the local debut of dazzling jazz-flamenco pianist Chano Dominguez, a long-awaited return visit by the extraordinary Brad Mehldau Trio, and a rare solo piano performance by NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron. Seating is limited and early reservations are advised! For tickets and information, visit our website or call 858-454-5872.
Thursday, March 29, 8:00 P.M.—Chano Dominguez “Flamenco Sketches”
Spanish flamenco vocalist/percussionist Blas Cordoba
NYC-based jazz bassist Ben Street
Cuban jazz drummer Dafnis Prieto (recently received a MacArthur Foundation fellowship)
The spring series begins on Thursday, March 29, with the local debut of Spanish jazz pianist Chano Dominguez, featuring his new Blue Note Records project, "Flamenco Sketches." His quartet includes flamenco cantaor and palmero (vocalist and hand clapper), acoustic bass, and drums/Latin percussion. "Flamenco Sketches," Dominguez's first release on Blue Note, and grew out of a 2009 commission from the Voll-Damm Barcelona Jazz Festival to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Miles Davis' classic album, "Kind of Blue." Dominguez crafted a compelling set of original arrangements of Davis' music, fusing jazz and flamenco styles. The Washington Post wrote, "Chano Dominguez has emerged as arguably the most important figure in flamenco jazz…a self-taught musician born and raised in Cadiz, the heart of Andalusia, flamenco country, hearing cantes flamencos at home and playing guitar—but also listening to recordings of Weather Report and Soft Machine. He became a flamenco fusion rocker playing keyboards and, in time, discovered jazz: Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock and Thelonious Monk…Dominguez is a player of rare elegance, clarity and swing." JazzTimes commented, "Chano Dominguez is creating what may be the first organic combination of jazz and flamenco, a distinct fusion that retains the elements of both forms and enhances both as a result...The cumulative effect is pure, rapturous joy…as profoundly hypnotic as it is scintillating."
Monday, May 14, 8:00 P.M.—Brad Mehldau Trio
This concert is sold out.
The series continues on Monday, May 14, with a much-anticipated return visit by the Brad Mehldau Trio. Mehldau's most recent local appearances have been two unforgettable solo piano concerts on the Neurosciences series in 2008 and 2010. The last local performance by his trio, featuring bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy, was in October 2003. This concert marks the trio's first local appearance with drummer Jeff Ballard, who joined the band in 2005. The Boston Globe called the group simply "one of the finest piano trios in the history of jazz." Comparisons abound linking Mehldau's music to Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett, citing classical influences such as Chopin and Brahms, and celebrating his pioneering jazz treatments of contemporary songs by Radiohead, Nirvana, and Nick Drake. The Los Angeles Times wrote, "Universally admired as one of the most adventurous pianists to arrive on the jazz scene in years…Mehldau [can be] simultaneously lyrical and swinging, harmonically rhapsodic and melodically spare." The Economist praised Mehldau's "glittering technique and probing intellect," stating that "he has been hailed as perhaps the finest pianist of his generation, a claim substantiated by his remarkable series of recordings. In turn meditative and incisive, his solos spin out engrossing, abstract lines, while his bassist and drummer provide subtle rhythmic and harmonic counterpoint."
Thursday, May 24, 8:00 P.M.—Kenny Barron, solo piano This concert is sold out
The series concludes on Thursday, May 24, with a special solo piano performance by nine-time Grammy nominee Kenny Barron. Named "one of the top jazz pianists in the world" by the Los Angeles Times, Barron has been a significant force in jazz for nearly 50 years, and was recognized in 2010 with this country's highest jazz honor, an NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship. His early credits include work with Philly Joe Jones, Roy Haynes, Lee Morgan, James Moody, Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, Milt Jackson, Buddy Rich, Yusef Lateef, Ron Carter, and Stan Getz, among countless others. His more recent work has featured collaborations with Regina Carter, Trio da Paz, Charlie Haden (with whom he appeared on the Neurosciences series in 1998), and the Monk-oriented quartet Sphere (featured on the series in 2001). The Village Voice commented, "The greased lightning of Barron's technique combined with a romantic ebullience has made him one of the glories of jazz piano for a long time." AllAboutJazz called him, "an effortless virtuoso, he combines featherlight grace with prodigious technical prowess." JazzTimes wrote, "Barron's playing nabs the ear every time it's at the forefront, blending subtlety and technical bravura…his art seems to grow deeper with each passing year, as fleet licks become less predictable, more melodic, and probing harmonies reveal further possibilities to play with."
The Neurosciences Institute is located at 10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive, north off of Genesee Avenue and just east of North Torrey Pines Road, easily accessible from I-5. These concerts are part of Performing Arts at The Neurosciences Institute, a series of events presented in the Institute's auditorium for the benefit of the community.
Farrell Family Jazz
at the
Athenaeum
Wednesday, June 13, 7:00pm and 9:00pm—Benny Green and John Clayton
Thursday, June 21, 7:30pm—Danilo Perez Trio
Thursday, July 5, 7:30pm—Joe Locke and Geoffrey Keezer
Thursday, July 26, 7:30pm—Lounge Art Ensemble: Erskine/Sheppard/Oles
Joan & Irwin Jacobs Music Room, The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall Street, La Jolla, CA 92037
Call (858) 454-5872: Series $76 member/$96 nonmember.
Series with Benny Green and John Clayton
7 PM concert
Series with Benny Green and John Clayton 9 PM concert
Individual concerts: $21 member/$26 nonmember.
Jazz returns to the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Music Room of the Athenaeum (at 1008 Wall Street in La Jolla) for the library's annual summer jazz series. The series features rare San Diego appearances by internationally-acclaimed jazz artists. Seating is limited, so early reservations are strongly suggested! For tickets and information, call 858-454-5872.
Wednesday, June 13, 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM—Benny Green and John Clayton
$21 member/$26 nonmember
7 PM
9 PM
The series opens on Wednesday, June 13, with the stellar team of pianist Benny Green and bassist John Clayton, who return to reprise their extraordinary February 2006 duo performance at the Athenaeum. This engagement will be presented in two separate performances at 7pm and 9pm. Benny Green is celebrated for his absorption of a wide swath of the jazz tradition, from early stride playing to the hard-bop idiom of the early 1960s. JazzTimes commented that Green's style features "plenty of playing with Oscar Peterson, Erroll Garner and Fats Waller in mind, and plenty of humor…but when he turns the mood reflective, we are reminded that this rollicking pianist is also a master of touch, dynamics, harmonic subtlety and surprising melodic turns." Bassist John Clayton is known for his co-leadership of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and the Clayton Brothers Quintet, as well as associations with artists such as Diana Krall, DeeDee Bridgewater (including her Grammy award winning CD "Dear Ella"), Natalie Cole, Milt Jackson, Nancy Wilson, Quincy Jones, George Benson, Dr. John, Gladys Knight, Regina Carter, Queen Latifah and many others. DownBeat called him simply, "one of the most accomplished bassists in mainstream jazz."
Thursday, June 21, 7:30 PM—Danilo Perez Trio
$21 member/$26 nonmember
The series continues on Thursday, June 21, with the long-awaited return visit by the Danilo Perez Trio, featuring Perez on piano, Ben Street on bass, and Adam Cruz on drums. Perez's last local appearance as a leader was a memorable performance on the Athenaeum Neurosciences series in September 2001. This extraordinary Panamanian pianist and composer is counted among the most influential and dynamic jazz musicians of our time. His distinctive blend of Pan-American jazz (covering the music of the Americas, folkloric and world music) has attracted critical acclaim and loyal audiences. Danilo's abundant talents and joyous enthusiasm make his concerts both memorable and inspiring. Whether leading his own ensembles or touring with renowned jazz masters (Wayne Shorter, Roy Haynes, Steve Lacy), Danilo is making a decidedly fresh imprint on contemporary music. Perez has led his own groups since the early '90s, and as bandleader has earned three Grammy nominations for his ebullient and innovative recordings. Of his more than 8-year trio collaboration with Street and Cruz, the Boston Phoenix wrote, "No one in the mainstream is played more freely than this trio." Partial funding for this performance is made through the Western Jazz Presenters Network and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Thursday, July 5, 7:30 PM—Joe Locke and Geoffrey Keezer
$21 member/$26 nonmember
The series continues on Thursday, July 5, with duo performance by New York-based vibraphonist Joe Locke and pianist Geoffrey Keezer. Widely considered to be one of the major voices on jazz "vibes," Joe Locke has performed and recorded with a diverse range of notable musicians, including Grover Washington Jr, Kenny Barron, Eddie Henderson, Cecil Taylor, Dianne Reeves, and Ron Carter. The Times of London wrote, "There seems little doubt that Locke, with his ability to play cool and funky, heady and relaxed, is set to become the pre-eminent vibraphonist in jazz." AllAboutJazz called him, "a natural on the instrument, an outstanding improviser with great melodic and harmonic sensibility." Locke has enjoyed a longtime musical collaboration with San Diego-based Geoffrey Keezer. In addition to his work as a leader, Keezer has been a member of the ensembles of Art Blakey, Art Farmer, Ray Brown, and Christian McBride. JazzTimes deemed him "an enormously skilled and creative pianist," and DownBeat celebrated him for "embodying the notion that 88 keys comprise a creative orchestra." All About Jazz wrote, "Regardless of context or style, Geoffrey Keezer is consistently inventive and virtuosic, and above all, unfailingly musical."
Thursday, July 26, 7:30 PM—Lounge Art Ensemble: Erskine/Sheppard/Oles
$21 member/$26 nonmember
The series concludes on Thursday, July 26, with the return of the Los Angeles-based Lounge Art Ensemble, featuring drummer extraordinaire Peter Erskine, saxophonist Bob Sheppard, and bassist Darek Oles. Originally created by Bob Sheppard and bassist Dave Carpenter as a creative composing and improvising laboratory, the Lounge Art Ensemble has released two albums with Peter Erskine and toured extensively throughout the USA and Europe. Following Dave Carpenter's untimely death, Darek Oles was recruited to keep the band alive and the group has flourished with his addition. Using time-tested jazz standards as a jumping-off point, the LAE continues to explore the possibilities of the horn trio in a most modern and refreshing way, as evidenced by such "unstandard standards" as "I Hear at Rap CD" and "Jung at Heart." It is West Coast Jazz with a vengeance and an East Coast edge, the music wry, well-balanced, and swinging. The group brings together three top West Coast-based musicians: Peter Erskine, one of the pre-eminent drummers in jazz; Bob Sheppard, known as "a suave, sophisticated player, with a seductive suppleness and sheen to his sound" (DownBeat); and Darek Oles, whose many associations include Charles Lloyd, Bennie Maupin, and Brad Mehldau.
Athenaeum Jazz at the Studio
Eric Person TrioKinesis
Saturday, June 2, 2012, 8 PM
Athenaeum School of the Arts' Studio, 4441 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92116
Call to reserve tickets at (858) 454-5872
$21 member/$26 nonmember
Three who instinctively interplay together. Saxophonist, Eric Person, Bassist, Joseph Lepore and Drummer, Shinnisuke Takahashi came together in 2010 while playing informal jams at Joe’s home in Queens, New York. "We struck a different feeling from the very start" says Eric Person. The feelings they convey are within a wide spectrum where the listener can expect the unexpectant. From the softest soft to the jagged edge, the three members honor a commitment to keep it moving forward.
TrioKinesis plays with an uncommon unity and with a full expressive sound as if they are four or five musicians. A listener will not miss a piano or guitar. Their interchange is paramount and they play a wide spectrum of expressions, textures, linear devices, and colorations. They seek to go beyond the common "worn out treads" that line so much of today's music. The group respects the roots that were laid down by the masters of the art while finding their own unique pulse that reflects the modern times we live in.
Eric Person, Saxophonist is the leader of Meta-Four and the Rhythm and Groove Band Metamorphosis. He has produced eight CD's as a leader on his own Distinctive Records. His latest CD is titled "The Grand Illusion." He has recorded and performed with jazz legends Dave Holland, McCoy Tyner, John Hicks and David Murray. Joseph Lepore, Bassist—has performed with many world class musicians such as JD Allen Marc Copland, Mark Turner, and Terri Lynn Carrington. He’s also performed and recorded with Greg Osby since 2008. He released his debut CD "Journal" on Inner Circle Music. Shinnisuke Takahashi, Drummer—has performed with Terumasa Hino, Makoto Ozone, Eric Lewis, and Marcus Printup’s Soul Mission. As a leader his debut release is titled "Rumination.”
the Athenaeum’s jazz programs.
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