We’re sorry, this series is sold out. Please call (858) 454-5872 to join the waitlist. Individual tickets for February 23rd and March 2nd are still available.
Tuesday, February 1, 2022
Sunday, February 6, 2022
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
7:30 PM
Live jazz is back at the Athenaeum! Join us for a series of four winter concerts in the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Music Room of the Athenaeum library (at 1008 Wall Street in La Jolla). This series features five leading artists of the jazz guitar hailing from Austria, Brazil, California, and Spain.
Tuesday, February 1, 7:30pm – Wolfgang Muthspiel Trio
The series begins on February 1 with a rare US date by Austrian guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel, joined by two of the top players in jazz, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade. Muthspiel lives in Vienna and is considered one of the most influential guitarists of his generation. After studying at the New England Conservatory and the Berklee College of Music in Boston, he toured with the Gary Burton Quintet, establishing a wide reputation on the jazz scene. His recordings as a leader on the ECM Record label have featured collaborations with Ralph Towner, Brad Mehldau, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Larry Grenadier. He has also been a regularly sought-after sideman for artists such as Dave Liebman, Peter Erskine, Paul Motian, Gary Peacock, John Patitucci, and many more. Muthspiel’s latest album, Angular Blues, with Scott Colley and Brian Blade, was released in the spring of 2020. The Times (London) wrote, “…moods shift from sunny and pastoral through the sharper edges of the title track... The three play with a relaxed precision that comes from long hours at the bandstand together… an exercise in fine-spun lyricism with echoes of Scarlatti and Bach … a quietly impressive album.”
Sunday, February 6, 7:30pm – Romero Lubambo/Chico Pinheiro
February 6 brings two of today’s leading jazz guitarists from Brazil, Romero Lubambo and Chico Pinheiro, who united in September 2021 to record a duo album. Known to Athenaeum audiences from past appearances with Luciana Souza and Trio Da Paz, Lubambo has performed and recorded with many of the outstanding artists of our time, including a range spanning from Dianne Reeves, Michael Brecker, Wynton Marsalis, and Gal Costa to Yo-Yo Ma, Kathleen Battle, and Billie Eilish. Jazziz wrote, “Guitarist Romero Lubambo may be the best practitioner of his craft in the world today... [his] facility, creativity and energy are in a class all their own.” Downbeat commented, “Lubambo is by himself the equivalent of an entire samba band… He tosses melodies, bass lines and rhythms in the air like juggling clubs.” Chico Pinheiro is known to Athenaeum audiences from past appearances with fellow guitarist Anthony Wilson and as the leader of his own quintet with saxophonist Bob Mintzer. Guitar giant Pat Metheny wrote, “There are many incredible guitarists out there. On the top of that list, I'd include Chico Pinheiro.” The Boston Globe called him, “one of the brightest lights on today’s Brazilian jazz scene.”
Wednesday, February 23, 7:30pm – San Francisco String Trio
February 23 brings the San Diego debut of the San Francisco String Trio, featuring Bay Area-based artists Mimi Fox on guitar, Jeff Denson on bass and vocals, and Mads Tolling on violin. Denson is familiar to Athenaeum audiences from his past appearances with Parisian guitarist Romain Pilon and Brian Blade, with Lee Konitz, and with the multinational Minsarah Trio. He is joined in the San Francisco String trio by two-time Grammy winner Tolling and six-time DownBeat International Critics Poll winner Fox, who come together to create an eclectic, riveting mixture of beautiful and passionate music. Crossing every genre from tango to funk, gorgeous ballads to sizzling up-tempo originals, the San Francisco String Trio provides its audiences with a special musical experience that is both poignant and compelling. Downbeat praised the trio for its “masterful musicianship and innovative arrangements that combine elements of jazz, pop, country, rock, swing, and world music. 4 stars!” Guitar Player called them “undeniably transcendent players, arrangers, and composers.” JazzTimes celebrated guitarist Fox for her “remarkable artistry… virtuosity… and inherent musicality,” calling her a “guitarist’s guitarist.”
Wednesday, March 2, 7:30pm – Oscar Peñas Quartet
The series concludes on March 2 with another local debut by the Oscar Peñas Quartet, featuring Oscar Peñas on guitar, Sara Caswell on violin, Motohito Fukushima on electric bass, and Richie Barshay on drums. Barcelona-native Peñas has released four jazz albums with Grammy winners Esperanza Spalding, Gil Goldstein, and Paquito D’Rivera. His latest recording, yet to be released, features legendary bassist Ron Carter. Downbeat wrote, “Oscar Peñas is a poet,” celebrating his “ability to bring together the strands of a broad cultural education—one encompassing classical studies as a teenager in Barcelona and jazz degrees at both Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory—in a seamless synthesis of musical idioms.” Esperanza Spalding commented, “Oscar is a beautiful player with a totally unique sense of sound and color in his writing.” And Gil Goldstein wrote, “Oscar Peñas has found a way to merge traditional Spanish music with jazz in a way that seems totally natural and fresh.” This concert is made possible with the support of Jazz Road, a national initiative of South Arts, funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation with additional support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
The concerts will be in person at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. There are no physical tickets for these events. Your name will be on an attendee list at the front door. Doors open at 7 p.m. Seating is first-come; first-served. These events will be presented in compliance with State of California and County of San Diego health regulations as applicable at the time of each concert. Face coverings are required for attendees, regardless of vaccination status. Proof of vaccination or negative test within 48 hours of the event is required. Event capacity is limited to 70% for now.