The monthly series of Jazz at the Athenaeum STREAMING LIVE! continues with four concerts this spring, each featuring longtime favorite artists from the Athenaeum Jazz series.
The spring series opens on March 29 with multi–Grammy winning pianist-composer Billy Childs in a duo performance, with the bassist to be announced. Childs has been a frequent featured artist on the Athenaeum series going back to 1996, when he debuted in another duo performance, with trumpeter Oscar Brashear, and remains one of the most diversely prolific and acclaimed artists working in music today. His canon of original compositions and arrangements garnered him the 2013 Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship (2009), a composer’s award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2015), a Chamber Music America composer’s grant (2006), sixteen Grammy nominations, and five Grammy awards—most recently, for Best Jazz Instrumental Album (Rebirth) in 2018. Previously, he had won a Grammy in 2015 for Best Arrangements, Instrumental and Vocal for “New York Tendaberry,” featuring Renée Fleming and Yo-Yo Ma, on his highly successful release Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro. Other Grammy wins include Best Instrumental Composition for “The Path Among the Trees” (2011) and “Into the Light” (2005) from his much-heralded jazz/chamber releases Autumn: In Moving Pictures and Lyric. DownBeat magazine stated, “Childs’ jazz/chamber group has taken the jazz-meets-classical format to a new summit.”
The series continues on April 12 with another special duo performance featuring pianist Eric Reed and bassist John Clayton. Through more than a quarter-century as a first-call artist on the jazz scene, Reed has articulated this inclusive conception as a leader of numerous ensembles, solo performer, composer, producer, educator, and sideman with numerous artists, including extended stints with Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Buster Williams, and Wynton Marsalis. A master interpreter of the music of Thelonious Monk as well as the jazz standards, Eric is also an accomplished composer of originals and maintains a strong connection to his roots in gospel music. Whatever the context, whatever the style, he consistently animates the flow with fresh ideas, virtuosic chops, intellectual clarity, and an unwavering will to groove. He is joined for this date by the celebrated jazz educator, bandleader, producer, and arranger John Clayton, widely acclaimed as one of the leading bassists in jazz. With a Grammy on his shelf and eight additional nominations, artists such as Diana Krall, Paul McCartney, Regina Carter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gladys Knight, Queen Latifah, and Charles Aznavour vie for a spot on his crowded calendar. Clayton’s past appearances on the Athenaeum series include concerts with pianists Benny Green and Mike Wofford as well as the Clayton Brothers Quintet.
On May 17 we will feature legendary alto saxophonist Charles McPherson with other musicians to be announced. For more than 50 years, McPherson has been one of the most expressive and highly regarded voices in jazz. His rich musical style, rooted in the blues and bebop, has influenced and inspired generations of musicians and listeners. Charles has been an important part of the Athenaeum Jazz family since curating his own multipart concert series in 1994 with guest artists including Conte Candoli, Buddy Collette, and Teddy Edwards. His latest performance on the series was in 2018 at the Scripps Research Auditorium in celebration of his 80th birthday.
On June 14 the spring Athenaeum Jazz STREAMING LIVE! series concludes with a date led by leading West Coast–based jazz guitarist Larry Koonse with other musicians to be announced. Larry’s Athenaeum connections go back to 2001, with the performance by the L.A. Jazz Quartet that opened the Jazz at the Studio series, and include memorable dates with vocalist Luciana Souza, Billy Childs, and pianist Mike Wofford.
The San Diego Union-Tribune’s David Coddon wrote of our fall STREAMING LIVE! series, “The closeups of the musicians during the performance were thoughtfully executed and timely, and the acoustics crisp even via my laptop computer. Put it this way: I turned off ‘Monday Night Football’ to watch the concert.”
The concert will be livestreamed via YouTube Live. Ticket holders will receive a link prior to the concert via email. Ticket holders will have access to view the concerts for 48 hours after each livestream event.