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Farrell Family Jazz at the Athenaeum Summer 2009

This summer’s Farrell Family Jazz at the Athenaeum series is a veritable “greatest hits” of stellar performers who have wowed Athenaeum audiences in the past, plus a jazz legend making his Athenaeum debut. All four concerts take place in the library’s Joan & Irwin Jacobs Music Room, where seating is very limited—so early reservations are advised.

Benny Green and Bucky Pizzarelli
Thursday, June 11 7:30 PM - SOLD OUT!

Darrell Grant and Dmitri Matheny
Wednesday, June 17 7:30 PM

Minsarah Trio
Thursday, July 16 7:30 PM

Geoffrey Keezer/Peter Sprague Quartet
Thursday, July 23 7:30 PM

Series $68/88; individual concerts $19/24

The series opens on Thursday, June 11, with a special program pairing pianist extraordinaire Benny Green with guitar veteran Bucky Pizzarelli. Green returns for his first Athenaeum appearance since his stellar duo performance with bassist John Clayton in February 2006. He 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. He is joined by one of the elder statesmen of jazz, guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, in his Athenaeum debut. Having begun his musical career in 1944, Pizzarelli’s extensive list of credits includes work with artists such as Benny Goodman, Les Paul, Zoot Sims, Wes Montgomery, and Stephane Grappelli, and stints at NBC under Skitch Henderson and with the Tonight Show band under Doc Severinsen. Since the 1980s he has also played many concerts with his son, guitarist/vocalist John Pizzarelli. This concert is sold out, however, there will be a waiting list at the door.

Benny Green and Bucky Pizzarelli

The series continues on Wednesday, June 17, with a return visit by pianist Darrell Grant and flugelhornist Dmitri Matheny. Grant and Matheny’s previous Athenaeum performance in July 2001 featured music from their superbly atmospheric CD Starlight Café. Darrell Grant is a Denver native who, upon moving to New York in the late 1980s, swiftly became one of the city’s top keyboardists, touring with artists such as Betty Carter, Frank Morgan, Sonny Fortune, Greg Osby, Roy Haynes, and Tony Williams. Named "Best New Artist" in the JazzIz Readers Poll and "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition" in the DownBeat International Critics Poll, Dmitri Matheny is celebrated for his warm, romantic tone and soaring lyricism. He was privately mentored by legendary flugelhorn master Art Farmer, has made guest appearances on more than 30 recordings and has released eight critically acclaimed CDs.

Darrell Grant and Dmitri Matheny

Thursday, July 16 brings an encore performance by the multinational Minsarah Trio, who last performed at the library in the summer of 2006. The group features San Diego-based bassist Jeff Denson, German pianist Florian Weber, and Israeli drummer Ziv Ravitz, and takes its name from the Hebrew word for "prism," reflecting the trio’s diverse origins and its new ideas for ensemble playing. Minsarah has exceptionally unique and personal trio sound, combining an ECM-like lyricism from the European classical tradition with a driving, contemporary jazz style. Pianist Florian Weber was awarded the Steinway & Sons prize at the 2001 Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition. Bassist Jeff Denson received the Berklee Outstanding Performer Award in 2002 and is currently in the Ph.D. program at UCSD. Drummer Ziv Ravitz received the Zildjian Scholarship Award in 2003. Minsarah has been a popular feature at European festivals such as Jazz Cologne, JVC Paris, and JazzFest Berlin, and their latest trio CD was named one of the top jazz albums of 2006 by the Deutsche Schallplatten Kritik.

Minsarah Trio

The series concludes on Thursday, July 23, with a performance by a special grouping of locally based musicians, the Geoffrey Keezer/Peter Sprague Quartet, featuring pianist Keezer and guitarist Sprague along with Hamilton Price on bass and Duncan Moore on drums. Keezer started off his musical career as a student in 1989, when joined Art Blakey in one of final editions of the Jazz Messengers. He then went on to work in the ensembles of Art Farmer and Ray Brown, and to record with legends including Benny Golson and Jim Hall, with whom he appeared on the Athenaeum Jazz at The Neurosciences series in September 2007. A favorite with San Diego audiences, Peter Sprague is known locally for leading groups such as Blurring the Edges and his work with vocalist Kevyn Lettau. His performance history includes stints with artists such as David Benoit, Hubert Laws, Sergio Mendes, and Chick Corea. Most recently, he has been circling the globe as a member of vocalist Dianne Reeves’ ensemble.

Geoffrey Keezer and Peter Sprague

Tickets for the series are $66 for members and $88 for nonmembers. Single tickets are $19 for members and $24 for nonmembers. Tickets are available now.

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