Piedmont Piano Company is pleased to present
Time Remembered
Screening, Q&A, and the Dave Thompson Trio
We will be screening Time Remembered, Bruce Spiegel’s acclaimed documentary about the life and music of Bill Evans, followed by Q&A, and live music with the Dave Thompson Trio, with Dave on piano, John Wiitala on bass, and David Rokeach on drums. The film covers Bill’s entire life, from early childhood with his brother Harry, to his days with Miles Davis, and his seminal trios with Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian; Chuck Israels, Eddie Gomez, Marty Morell, and Eliot Zigmund; and finally with Marc Johnson and Joe LaBarbera. The film is filled with footage of Bill’s performances and interviews, and conversations with Bill’s friends and fellow musicians about their time with him.
$20 General Admission
Bruce Spiegel was a producer/editor at CBS News/48 Hours for 25 years. During that time, he produced, edited and directed a number of films and documentaries. In 2002 he co-produced the award-winning TV documentary “9-11” which won both an Emmy (2002) and Peabody Award (2003). In 2012, alongside Wynton Marsalis and Hugh Masakela (South African music legend), Spiegel co-produced a CBS News/48 Hours TV documentary titled “Nelson Mandela: Father of a Nation”. He spent eight years making “Time Remembered”, traveling all over the US to create this remarkable film, interviewing Bill’s friends, fellow musicians, and family members, to weave together this compelling, heartfelt story of Bill’s life and music. The film appeared in more than 50 film festivals worldwide in 2018, winning 18 awards. More can be seen at billevanstimeremembered.com
David Thompson has been performing and teaching for the past 30 years. He grew up in Berkeley, and spent most of his life here, before moving to Ohio eight years ago. He studied with George Shearing and Joanne Brackeen in New York, and with Don Haas in the SF Bay Area. He has composed film scores, and music for documentaries and independent film productions, including projects for the Sierra Club. For the past two years, he has been traveling throughout the US, presenting masterclasses on the life and music of Bill Evans, hosting showings of “Time Remembered”, Bruce Spiegel’s acclaimed documentary about jazz pianist Bill Evans. David also performs at jazz clubs and jazz festivals around the US, and was the guest artist at the 2019 University of Akron Jazz Festival this past March. His solo CD, Introspect, was met with critical acclaim, including reviews by Marc Myers of The Wall Street Journal and Jazzwax.com, and Grammy award-winning writer Neil Tesser of Chicagojazz.com. David currently resides in Medina, Ohio, where he teaches and performs when home from travels. davidthompsonjazz.com
John Wiitala is a freelance bassist, active in the Bay Area Jazz scene since the 1980s. He's played and recorded with pianist Jessica Williams' trio, Mark Levine's Latin Tinge, the Bruce Forman Trio, Bill Bell, Wesla Whitfield and Mike Greensill, Ed Reed, Erik Jekabson, Adam Shulman, Patrick Wolff and Randy Porter. He currently teaches at the California Jazz Conservatory and annually at flutist Ali Ryerson's Master Class at Hidden Valley, the Stanford Jazz Workshop and the Theo Bleckman/Laurie Antonioli Vocal Intensive. Wiitala has had the fortune to accompany a few of his musical "heroes" through the years: Joe Henderson, Benny Golson, Mark Murphy, Charlie Rouse, Shorty Rogers, Bud Shank, Bob Dorough, Mose Allison, Charles McPherson, Kenny Barron, Albert Tootie Heath, Pete Jolly, Mike Wofford, Lou Levy, Bobby Hutcherson, Mary Stallings, Joe Locke, John Handy, Noel Jewkes and Calvin Keyes. He counts among his mentors Hal Stein, Flip Nunez, drummers Richie Goldberg and Donald Duck Bailey and pianist Smith Dobson IV.
A long time Bay Area resident, drummer David Rokeach has been working primarily in the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas for more than 20 years. David toured nationally and internationally with Ray Charles from 1990-91. This included concert videos and many television appearances, including an appearance on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and the Doc Severinson Orchestra. He has performed/recorded with artists from Aretha Franklin, Grammy winner Joe Henderson, and The George Brooks-Zakir Hussain Group, to Wilson Pickett, The Family Stone Experience, The San Francisco Symphony, and beyond.
David currently teaches at Stanford University, and has also been a regular faculty member at the Stanford Jazz Workshop ,Rhythmic Concepts Jazz Camp West,The Jazzschool in Berkeley and at the Lafayette Summer Music Workshop.. Recently he played the Broadway Shows “Jersey Boys,” It Ain’t Nothin’ But The Blues,” “ Les Miserables,” “Ragtime", and the Janis Joplin shows "Love, Janis" and "A Night with Janis Joplin" during their San Francisco runs. He also plays on many commercial jingles, and film and television soundtracks, both in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. davidrokeach.com