LIVE at Piedmont Piano Company
Eddie Henderson Quartet
Legendary trumpet master Eddie Henderson has been a prolific performer and recording artist for more than five decades, since his years as a member of Herbie Hancock’s group, and continuing through multitudes of recordings and appearances as both sideman and headliner. Here he leads a New York-based quartet, featuring his current band members, pianist Peter Zak, bassist Marcos Varela, and frequent collaborator, drummer Sylvia Cuenca.
$25 General Admission
We are offering a limited number of tickets to attend this performance in person. Advance purchase is required.
COVID-19 SAFETY: All ticket buyers must show proof of full vaccination (including a booster, if eligible) and wear a mask while inside the piano store.
EDDIE HENDERSON
Eddie Henderson’s wildly diverse and accomplished career began in a most appropriately lofty way: His first trumpet lessons as a young boy were given by Louis Armstrong. It was a connection made through the musical careers of Henderson’s parents; his father a singer with the Charioteers and his mother a dancer at the Cotton Club.
A native of New York City, Henderson relocated with his family to San Francisco by the age of 14. He studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music from 1954 to 1956, and drew the praise of Miles Davis, a friend of the Henderson family who came to know Eddie while visiting his parents during tour stops in town.
After serving in the Air Force from 1958 to 1961, Henderson became the first African American to compete for a national figure skating championship, winning the Pacific and Midwestern titles. Soon after, he began to pursue dual careers in medicine and music, earning a Bachelor of Science in zoology at the University of California at Berkeley, and an MD at Howard University Medical School four years later.
As Henderson’s medical career took root in California, he also drew his first worldwide recognition for his jazz trumpet playing from the popular recordings he made with Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi group during the early ’70s. He has since earned acclaim for decades of performances with such luminaries as Pharoah Sanders, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, Johnny Griffin, Slide Hampton, McCoy Tyner, Benny Golson, Max Roach, Jackie McClean, Dexter Gordon, Roy Haynes, and Joe Henderson.
PETER ZAK
Jazz pianist and composer Peter Zak performs and records both as a sideman and leader of his own groups. His credits include George Coleman, Jimmy Cobb, Ryan Kisor, Etta Jones, Peter Bernstein, Eddie Henderson, Eric Alexander, Walt Weiskopf and Jon Hendricks, among many others. His twelve albums as a leader, including his latest recording, “One Mind,” have earned consistent praise from publications such as DownBeat, JazzTimes, Financial Times, Jazz Journal, and the New York Times. As a composer, his awards include a $10,000 jazz chamber music commission from the Doris Duke Foundation, which he performed both at Smoke Jazz Club and the Jazz Gallery in New York, with drummer Al Foster, and bassist Paul Gill. He has performed with various groups at every major jazz venue in New York City, including the Village Vanguard, the Blue Note, Smoke, and the Jazz Standard; his current trio performs in New York, around the U.S. and at festivals and concerts internationally. He has been teaching at the New York School since 1995. peterzakmusic.com
MARCOS VARELA
In his hometown of Houston, Texas, Marcos Varela attended the renowned High School for the Performing & Visual Arts. After high school and on his path to becoming a professional musician he moved to NYC to attend the New School and is now an active member in the New York jazz and contemporary music scene.
In 2016, Varela released his debut album San Ygnacio on Origin Records to critical acclaim. In support of the record, his band the “San Ygnacio Project” has headlined as a part of the Jazz á Liège festival in Liege, Belgium. Prishtina’s Jazz Week in Prishtina, Kosovo. Discovery Green in Houston, TX and at Teatro Arriaga Antzokia in Bilbao, Spain. Varela’s newest co-lead projects include One Mind, released on the Spanish label Fresh Sound Records, and Illumination, released in December 2020.
As a recent 2022 Creative Capital Awardee, Marcos has made a name for himself as an in-demand bassist in the city and worldwide and has regularly performed and recorded with a variety of ensembles and band leaders such as Ingrid Jensen, Billy Hart, Geri Allen, The Mingus Big Band, Antoine Roney, Nasheet Waits among many others. He was selected as a member of Vincent Gardner's Jazz Houston, which has featured guests such as Gregory Porter, Wynton Marsalis, Ruben Blades and Jon Faddis. Varela has also worked as a composer for several film and television projects, including director Domenica Cameron-Scorsese's film “Roots in Water”.
Varela is a NS Design, Aguilar Amplification, Kolstein, Thomastik-Infeld Strings, Ear Trumpet Labs, Fishman, Mono Creators and Fodera Artist. marcosvarelamusic.com
SYLVIA CUENCA
Sylvia is an active drummer on the New York music scene contributing outstanding performances in a variety of situations. She has had the honor of sharing the bandstand with saxophone legend Joe Henderson for 4 years. They toured extensively in Europe, Asia and U.S. Sylvia also performed with trumpet legend Clark Terry for 17 years. Terry’s quintet and big band performed jazz cruises, clubs, concerts and festivals in the U.S. Europe, the Caribbean, and South America. She recently performed with Kevin Mahogany in South Africa and toured as a leader in India.
Sylvia also performed and toured with jazz luminaries Billy Taylor, Eddie Henderson, Gary Bartz, Kenny Barron, Ray Drummond, Frank Foster’s Loud Minority Big Band, Red Holloway, Jimmy Heath, George Cables, Irene Rosnes, Kenny Drew Jr., Emily Remler, Al Grey, Frank Wess, Michael Brecker, Helen Merrill, Houston Person, Hilton Ruiz, Marian McPartland, Lou Donaldson, Etta Jones, Geoffrey Keezer, Catherine Russell, Joe Williams, Vienna Art Orchestra, Jon Faddis, John Abercrombie, Lew Soloff, Dave Stryker, Paul Bollenback, Dianne Reeves, Dianne Schuur and Albert “Tootie” Heath’s 4 drum set group called “The Whole Drum Truth” also featuring Louis Hayes and Joe Saylor and many others. sylviacuenca.com