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| Jed Distler Kicks Off Annual Thelonious Monk Pianothon American composer/pianist Jed Distler opens for "Thelonious Monk at 94, Counting Down to 100, " a four-hour pianothon on Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at the World Financial Center's Winter Garden in downtown New York City, with a 20-minute solo piano set starting at noon. Long respected as one of contemporary classical music's movers and shakers in New York, and hailed as "an altogether extraordinary pianist" ("Newark Star-Ledger") and New York's "Downtown keyboard magus" ("The New Yorker"), Jed Distler has been rediscovering his youthful roots in jazz piano's rich history. Encouraged early on by Hank Jones and Dick Hyman (with whom he has collaborated on two pianos), Distler worked with Bill Evans on a book of the influential piano legend's transcribed solos, and published the first book of authentic and accurate Art Tatum transcriptions. He has performed with Tom Harrell, Red Mitchell, Warne Marsh, Bernard Purdie, and served as musical director for singer KT Sullivan for extended runs at New York's Oak Room and London's Jermyn Street Theatre. He also transcribed and arranged music by Evans for Jean-Yves Thibaudet's Decca release "Conversations with Bill Evans, " and for Art Tatum solos that Steven Mayer recorded for the ASV and Naxos labels. Characterized by his improvisational style and elaborate compositions, pianist Thelonious Monk was a herald of bebop and one of the most prolific innovators of jazz. This mini-marathon, is part of an annual series which counts down to Monk's 100th birthday. In addition to Distler, the 4-hour pianothon produced by Jim Luce, will feature an international lineup of artists, including Adonis Gonzalez and Axel Tosca. Jim Luce and Jed Distler previously worked together as co-curators of the March 2005 Tsunami Piano Benefit at Faust Harrison Pianos in New York. Jim Luce has described Distler as "a fearless musician of great talent, and a wonderful example of how to live a life with music at the center of it. He takes on all composers, and we're all better off for it." The free public performance on Tuesday, October 4th at the Winter Garden will give Monk fans and jazz lovers a sneak preview of Distler's upcoming solo evening at the Cornelia St. Café, scheduled for early next year on February 17th, to mark the exact 30th anniversary of Monk's death. Distler, who is also Artistic Director for ComposersCollaborative Inc. hosts Serial Underground, a monthly New Music series, at the café. The World Financial Center is located at 220 Vesey Street (between West Street and North End Avenue) New York, NY 10281 in the heart of Battery Park City, an assembly of parks, boardwalk, residential towers and office buildings The center's arts and events program encompasses approximately 45 music and dance performances, six visual arts exhibits and six festivals yearly - all free. Music events regularly partner with WNYC's New Sounds radio show, which broadcasts new works by composers, from opera to jazz to folk. This program is held in the spectacular Winter Garden, a vaulted glass and steel dome enclosing a grove of palm trees. Seating at all events is free and first-come, first-serve. write your comments about the article :: © 2011 Jazz News :: home page |