Adam Wolff; Photo credit: Michael Oletta
Ronnie Stewart; Photo credit: Michael Oletta
Caleb Furgatch
Monday, October 2, 2023
12 PM
Adam Wolff has been playing the piano for most of his life. Starting at the age of 8, he spent ten years studying classical piano performance, music theory, and creative music expression. Raised in New York and Chicago, he returned to New York City in the 80s and spent many years playing music full-time in Manhattan. While living in New York, Wolff studied with several great pianists: Barry Harris (Keeper of the Bebop Flame), Mike Longo (Musical Director for Dizzy Gillespie), and Kenny Werner (Author of Effortless Mastery and a global music legend). He also performed/recorded with many great jazz players including Victor Lewis, Calvin Hill, Rebecca Franks, and others. He was fortunate to record with two of Ahmad Jamal’s drummers: Vernel Fournier and Frank Gant. (Vernel Fournier is credited with developing the iconic drumbeat used in Jamal’s recording of “Poinciana” in the 1950s.) During this time, Wolff also taught music at the Johnny Colon School of Music in East Harlem, as well as playing in clubs, restaurants, cafes, and private engagements throughout the New York City region. In 1987, he was approached by Long Island University in Brooklyn and offered a full music scholarship. He received a degree with honors in 1990.
Relocating to San Diego in the 1990s, Adam Wolff performed with different groups, ranging from jazz to popular dance music to creative expression performances. In 2004, he co-founded Blue44, a music collective with a distinctive theme of “ambient grooves”. Wolff’s music contains key elements of excitement and hard-swinging, soulful, creative musical expression. These elements come through in all his performances.
Ronnie Stewart is one of San Diego’s premier jazz drummers, having played with such legends as Joe Farrell, George Cables, Blue Mitchell, as well as Charles McPherson, and Peter Sprague. His groups have also opened for Les McCann, George Benson, and Stanley Turrentine, and he toured with soul singer Solomon Burke for a time. Ronnie Stewart brings a powerful combination of elements together: a driving intensity, elegant swing, soulful grooves, and an overall sense of positivity and possibilities.
Caleb Furgatch has been playing bass in the San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego regions for many years. He also resided in Amsterdam for a time, touring and playing with a variety of blues and jazz groups in Europe and the U.K. Equally adept at both electric and upright, Furgatch has played with Pee Wee Ellis, Bobby Shew, Jim Gibson, Charles McPherson, as well as being an essential part of the great Tony Ortega’s jazz ensemble for 20 years. Combining a strong swing and groove feel with a sense of daring and adventure, playing with Caleb Furgatch is always an uplifting experience.
Free concerts at noon every Monday from fall through spring . . . no wonder the Mini-Concerts are the longest-running and one of the most popular classical music series at the library! This series was founded by Glenna Hazleton in 1970 at the Athenaeum, and has been going strong ever since. The concerts feature both local and touring musicians, prize-winning students, university music faculty members, local chamber ensembles. . . and the repertoire also includes jazz, folk and world music. There are no reservations, no tickets . . . just line up at the side door of the Athenaeum before noon. (Donations are always welcome!) Mini-Concerts take place every Monday at noon and last about an hour.
The concerts will be in person at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. There are no physical tickets for these events. Doors open at 11:50 a.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.
Masks optional. If you have a fever, cough, or flu-like symptoms, please stay home.