featuring Keith Ganz
”Swinging in the New Year!”

Whew! Did you sometimes wonder if we'd make it out of this decade ALIVE?? We're almost over the finish line friends!  Join us for this afternoon concert where we wave goodbye to worn out and weary 2019 and welcome a bright new decade with vibrant, swinging and surprising arrangements of songs you know and love! Featuring Keith Ganz guitar, Jeff Denson bass, Hamir Atwal drums.

Featuring some of the Bay Area’s finest jazz and improvising musicians, Vitamin Em brings its own special brand of jazz, funk, R&B, and fiddle music to the piano store. Its unique instrumentation makes for rich and distinctive renditions of Tower of Power, Duke Ellington, Joe Zawinul along with imaginative originals. Performances are gutsy, spirited, joyful, and along the way fearless improv abounds. Vitamin Em is Matthew Szemela, Evan Price, Philip Brezina – violins;  Emily Onderdonk – viola;  Michael Graham, Joseph Hébert – celli;  Paul Hanson – bassoon;  and Dan Cantrell – accordion.

Celebrating the Season

Now celebrating his 13th anniversary, this special concert is a “must see” show for all fans of contemporary Jazz and Blues. With holiday classics and carols getting the signature Nicolas Bearde high-energy makeover, it’s a show you won’t want to miss. Joining him on stage are some of the Bay Area’s best: John R Burr (piano), Gary Brown (bass), and Leon Joyce, Jr. (drums).

Give the gift of music this Holiday season to family and friends. Make your reservations early. This “one night only concert” always sells out.

Don’t miss this special evening of solo jazz piano with the legendary Denny Zeitlin, as he reimagines compositions from the Richard Rodgers songbook. "By any measure, Zeitlin's creative output over the past 50 years places him at jazz's creative zenith."  –Andrew Gilbert, JazzTimes

Don’t miss this special evening of solo jazz piano with the legendary Denny Zeitlin, as he reimagines compositions from the Richard Rodgers songbook. "By any measure, Zeitlin's creative output over the past 50 years places him at jazz's creative zenith."  –Andrew Gilbert, JazzTimes

Creole Christmas

Etienne Charles adds a new twist to the holidays with music from his dynamic Creole Christmas set. Featuring classic selections from the Caribbean, South American, North American, and European holiday songbooks, Charles and his ensemble celebrate the Christmas season with unique interpretations of pieces from Charles’ diverse musical roots.

Larry Vuckovich celebrates his 83rd birthday with his annual concert. This past year has been a rewarding one for him, receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Nišville Jazz Festival, in his former country of Yugoslavia. After some solo piano selections, Jeff Chambers, one of the most versatile and acclaimed bassists on the international scene, will join Larry in a duo format. As always, there will be delicious treats and refreshments to express thanks to our jazz listeners.

Pacific Standard Time, slated for release on June 14, 2019, brings us a new experience of the American Songbook directly from this group’s creative playground, featuring some of the best Bay Area jazz musicians: saxophonist Michael O’Neill, trumpeter Erik Jekabson, pianist John R. Burr, bassist Dan Feiszli, and drummer Alan Hall. They will be joined by Veteran singer Tony Lindsay, best known for a quarter-century run with Santana that included 11 Grammy Awards.

The Art of the Duo - 2ND SHOW ADDED

8-time Grammy Nominee Tierney Sutton returns with pianist Tamir Hendelman for a special duo evening. Sutton is heralded for her abilities as a jazz storyteller and her ability to use her voice as an instrument. Hendelman is known for his sense of swing, imaginative arranging, sensitive touch and his work with vocalists from Natalie Cole to Barbra Streisand.

The Jemal Ramirez Group is a San Francisco Bay Area based jazz group that delivers high powered music. They have performed at the 2018 San Jose Jazz Festival, The Sonoma Valley Jazz Society’s, “Barn Series” and the “Tuesday Nights in Downtown Sonoma”, Piedmont Pianos Co., Cafe Stritch and Cafe Pink House. The Jemal Ramirez Group’s most recent release, African Skies, made the Jazz Week chart—peaking at #9 and continuing to receive National Radio Airplay. Downbeat Magazine gave the Jemal Ramirez Group a 4 star review in their June 2018 issue.

Featuring protean pianist Myra Melford, galvanizing bassist Mark Dresser and supremely musical drummer Matt Wilson, Trio M brings together three visionary jazz artists with extensive track records in adventurous ensembles. This volatile ensemble explores compositions contributed by every member while maintaining a commitment to spontaneous improvisation. Unbound by piano trio conventions, the leaderless project erases distinctions between frontline and accompanist, requiring each player to shape the music’s flow as it unfolds.

Trumpet player Erik Jekabson's All-Star New Orleans Sextet returns to the piano store, joined by vocalist extraordinaire Kenny Washington.  They will play traditional New Orleans jazz with Kenny, a New Orleans native.

A Musical Journey from Handel to Bartok

Regarded as one of the most significant Liszt interpreters of his generation, Péter Tóth returns to the piano store, directly from his European tour in the Netherlands, Austria, and Hungary. This afternoon, he takes on a musical journey from Handel to Bartok in addition to presenting gems from Beethoven, Liszt, and Chopin.

Oregonia is a project involved with playing the compositions of Paul McCandless, Ralph Towner and friends who forged a unique, modern Jazz language. Art Lande (piano) got to know Oregon, the group formed in 1970 as an offshoot of the Paul Winter Consort, and has performed and loved this music since 1974. Although John Gunther (woodwinds) and Tim Wendel (electric guitar) are fairly new to much of this music, the whole band brings it forward with a different sound and sensibility, focusing on improvisation, encouraged by beautiful compositions and intriguing forms.

Both Jim Hall and Jimmy Giuffre wrote tunes perfect for free-flowing and spontaneous musical conversations. The Easy Way is modeled after Giuffre’s drummerless trios of the 1950s and 60s. As jazz was becoming more abstract, expressionistic and at times bombastic, Giuffre and Hall were going in the opposite direction. They were envisioning quieter music that embraced the emerging qualities of free playing, while maintaining elements of blues and folk. This music has a unique kind of sophisticated simplicity that has stood the test of time.

Join Conspiracy of Venus for their 2019-2020 season premiere. Under the direction of Joyce Todd McBride, this powerful, 25-woman vocal ensemble interprets the songs of greats like David Bowie, Björk, and the Pixies. They will also sing original compositions by director Joyce Todd McBride. Venus always puts on a lively show and never fails to surprise audiences with their provocative repertoire and unique punch. 

Tango Composers of Buenos Aires

Internationally acclaimed ensemble Mariano Barreiro Tango Trío presents the music of Astor Piazzolla and tango composers of Buenos Aires. 

Recording artist, pianist, and composer Peter Horvath performs with his dynamic trio, featuring Bay Area greats Jeff Chambers on bass and Jason Lewis on drums. The trio will highlight some originals, along with some unique arrangements of standards.

Ken Stringfellow, founding member of The Posies, brings the full scope of his 30+ year career as a musician, songwriter, producer, raconteur and boils it down to the simplest of presentations: his voice, his guitar, and the piano. And, of course his stream-of-(sub)consciousness humor and anecdotes. Songs & stories from his work as solo artist, as well as with the Posies, Big Star, REM, Neil Young, Mercury Rev, Ringo Starr, Robyn Hitchcock... For this tour Ken is also revisiting his landmark album "Touched" as a focal/departure point for the evening.

Charles Chen, winner of the 2019 Jazz Search West competition, and Andrew Stephens, second place winner of the 2019 Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Competition, celebrate the work of legendary trumpeter Clifford Brown, famous for his inventive melodic soloing, perfect technique, and exciting arrangements. The band will feature Charles Chen (piano), Andrew Stephens (trumpet), Lyle Link (saxophones/flute), James Gallagher (drums), and Miles Wick (bass), with special guest Tiffany Austin (vocals).

dark blue CD Release Tour

Detroit-born baritone saxophonist extraordinaire Alex Harding and Transylvanian expat pianist Lucian Ban celebrating the Sunnyside records release of their long awaited duet dark blue. The album showcases Harding, one of the most important baritone saxophonists of the past decades, in a program of duets with longtime collaborator pianist Ban – a unique amalgamation of original pieces and improvisations informed by traditions of jazz, blues, and European chamber music. 

”Front Row Seat”

Pianist Bill Mays returns to Piedmont Piano Company for an afternoon of jazz. He will be joined by Bay Area bassist John Wiitala, featuring a mix of Bill’s own material – a couple of which have been featured in recent films – some standards, and a couple of classical themes.

The Anna Laura Quinn-tet with special guest Tessa Lark

Vocalist and New Orleans resident Anna Laura Quinn brings together the stellar Bay Area ensemble that was featured on her debut EP, I Feel the Sudden Urge to Sing!, to perform her heartfelt arrangements of classic jazz, cabaret, French, and Brazilian tunes. For this highly anticipated engagement at Piedmont Piano, the band— Rob Reich on accordion and piano, Scott Foster on guitar, Joe Kyle Jr. on bass, and Justin Ouellet on violin—will be joined by Anna’s special guest, the award-winning New York violinist, Tessa Lark.

7 Decades CD Release

Kaila Flexer’s parents, Abe & Bobbie Flexer, now both 84, met when they were 11 years old, and have been devoted to one another for over 7 decades. This project features compositions Kaila has written honoring them. Teslim will be playing works from the recording as well as other repertoire.

Multiple GRAMMY-nominated pianist Geoffrey Keezer and stellar vocalist Kenny Washington brought down the house with a sold-out crowd at Filoli in 2016, and have toured and recorded together with vibraphonist Joe Locke. This evening, Geoffrey and Kenny team up for a rare duo performance which highlights their world-class talent in an intimate setting. Come prepared to be swung, serenaded, thrilled and moved - this is a concert not to be missed!