LIVE at Piedmont Piano Company
Ali Ryerson Quartet
Internationally renowned jazz flutist, Ali Ryerson, is excited to return to Piedmont Piano Company with her longtime colleagues, Steve Rudolph on piano, John Wiitala on bass, and Akira Tana on drums. Their repertoire features beautifully arranged jazz classics by Thad Jones, Wes Montgomery, Brazilian masters Ivan Lins, Léa Freire and more. The quartet comes to Oakland directly following their weeklong residency at Hidden Valley Music Seminars on the Monterey Peninsula, where Ryerson conducts her annual jazz flute masterclass.
$25 General Admission
We are offering a limited number of tickets to attend this performance in person. Advance purchase is recommended. Masking is encouraged, but no longer required.
ALI RYERSON
With a career spanning over five decades, jazz flutist Ali Ryerson consistently ranks among the top flutists in the prestigious Downbeat Jazz Poll. She has released over two dozen albums on major labels, including Concord Records, Capri Records, and Red Baron (for legendary jazz producer, Bob Thiele). Ryerson has worked with jazz greats such as Red Rodney, Hubert Laws, Roy Haynes, Joe Beck, Kenny Barron, Frank Wess, Stephane Grappelli, a guest appearance with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and classical artists Julius Baker and, while principal flutist with the Monterey Bay Symphony, with Luciano Pavarotti. She has served as Jazz Chair and Low Flutes Chair for the National Flute Association, was the founder of the NFA Jazz Flute Big Band and NFA Program Chair for the 2023 National Flute convention. As an educator, Ryerson published her widely acclaimed book, ‘Jazz Flute Practice Method’, conducts master classes worldwide, and teaches an online series for Lessonface. As a composer, Ryerson has received numerous commissions. Her flute works, ranging from solo to large flute ensemble, are published by Presser, Edition Kossack and ACR Music. Ms. Ryerson is a Gemeinhardt Artist with an autograph series of flutes. aliryerson.com
STEVE RUDOLPH
Jazz pianist, composer, educator, and Yamaha Keyboard Artist Steve Rudolph was born in Evansville, Indiana and studied trumpet and composition under scholarship at Butler University in Indianapolis. Switching his main instrumental focus to the piano at age 22, he was hired by Buddy Morrow in 1977 to perform on the road with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Since then, he has had an inspiring career in his 50+ years of professional music making. Steve has served as producer, arranger and performer on many recordings and his vast concert experience encompasses performances with many jazz masters including Louie Bellson, Clark Terry, and the Mills Brothers. At home in Harrisburg, PA, he leads many ensembles including the Harrisburg Jazz Collective Big Band. His devotion to the art of jazz inspired him to found the Central PA Friends of Jazz, now in its 44th year. Steve was the recipient of the 2002 Harrisburg Arts Award for dedication to the arts, and in 2023 he was inducted into the Central PA Music Hall of Fame. He is well known in Central PA for his six night a week, 22 year long job as house pianist at the Hilton Harrisburg (1990-2012) steverudolph.com
JOHN WIITALA
Bassist John Wiitala is a Richmond, CA native and longtime veteran of the Bay Area jazz scene. He has accompanied many artists including Shorty Rogers, Charlie Rouse, Ernestine Anderson, Joe Henderson, Charles McPherson, Mary Stallings, Bob Dorough and countless others but he most treasures the associations with pianists Jessica Williams, Randy Porter (including the recording of Porter’s Grammy nominated “Porter Meets Porter”), Mark Levine ( with the recording of Latin Grammy nominated “Off and On,”) , Susan Chen, Adam Shulman, Gaea Schell, trumpeter Erik Jekabson, vocalists Madeline Eastman and Wesla Whitfield, and his long tenure at Jazz At Pearls with Bruce Forman and Vince Lateano
John has long been involved in jazz education, with long running involvement with the Stanford Jazz Workshop, the California Jazz Conservatory and Ali Ryerson’s Jazz Flute Masterclass.
AKIRA TANA
A self-taught drummer, Tana played semi-professionally while still at college. He attended Harvard University where he gained a degree in East Asian Studies/Sociology. He then studied at the New England Conservatory of Music, also taking private lessons from Vic Firth and other percussionists with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops Orchestras and from jazz drummer Alan Dawson. During his studies he had the opportunity of working with Helen Humes, Milt Jackson, Sonny Rollins, Jaki Byard, George Russell, Sonny Stitt and other leading jazz musicians. He also played with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and several of the classical music ensembles at the New England Conservatory and at the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood. In the early 80s he continued to accompany major artists such as Al Cohn, Art Farmer, Benny Golson, Jim Hall, Jimmy Rowles, Zoot Sims and Cedar Walton. He also performed with artists outside the jazz world, including Charles Aznavour, Lena Horne, and Van Dyke Parks. Tana recorded extensively during these years and in addition to albums with some of the foregoing also appeared with Ran Blake, Chris Connor, Carl Fontana, Jimmy Heath, Tete Montoliu, Spike Robinson, Warne Marsh and many others. In the early 90s Tana worked with James Moody, Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Wess, Ray Bryant, J.J. Johnson, and the Manhattan Transfer, among others. With the bassist, Rufus Reid he formed the band TanaReid and, with Reid and Kei Akagi, the Asian American Jazz Trio. A technically accomplished drummer, Tana's wide range is hinted at by the musicians with whom he has worked. Comfortably at home accompanying singers and instrumental ballads, Tana is equally in his element playing hard bop. In the bands he co-led with Reid he generated an excitingly propulsive rhythmic drive. In addition to playing, Tana has also produced and co-produced several albums including those by TanaReid, the Asian American Jazz trio and Project G-7:A Tribute to Wes Montgomery featuring Kenny Burrell. Tana also has nine recordings as a leader, “Secret Agent Men” and “Moon Over the World,” and “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,”on Sons of Sound recordings. Another is “JAZZaNOVA” that features Branford Marsalis and Arturo Sandoval with vocalists, Clauida Villella, Sandy Cressman, Claudio Amaral, Jackie Ryan, amd Carla Helmbrecht. The most recent projects are four recordings by his group, “Otonowa.” These recording features jazz interpretations of Japanese folk and pop melodies that date back decades and even centuries. This group has completed seven tours of the earthquake/tsunami stricken areas of northern Japan since March 2013. Akira plays Yamaha Drums, Vic Firth Sticks and Sabian Cymbals exclusively. Tana is currently on the faculty at San Francisco Conservatory of Music and does fill shifts on KCSM akiratana.com