SONGS & STORIES SERIES
Conductor, operatic tenor, and composer Darita Seth shares stories about advocating for BIPOC and other marginalized communities through choral music, singing all over the world, and weight-lifting. Accompanied by Carl Oser, followed by audience Q & A. Hosted by vocalist Sharmila G. Lash.

JAZZ PIANO MASTERS SERIES

Art Lande’s solo piano concerts are rare, special occasions and personal offerings of everything he has to give. This Artful evening will be a journey through loosely charted territory with plenty of side road jaunts and unscripted excursions where captivating characters, places, and events co-mingle. The audience will hear some jazz, his own compositions, improvisation, spoken word, and anything that touches his heart in the space in the moment.

Remember the 80's, when Annie Lennox’s powerhouse vocals ruled? Get ready to groove anew as Kristin puts her spin on 12 Eurythmics classics. Bassist, vocalist, arranger and fun facilitator Kristin Korb returns to the piano store to celebrate her new project, Sweet Dreams, paying tribute to The Eurythmics with her own signature style. Scheduled for release on October 25, 2024 (Giant Sheep Music), Kristin celebrates with the unique opportunity to enjoy the music before the rest of the world hears it. Joining Kristin are local legend Mary Fettig (woodwinds) and the one and only Deszon Claiborne (drums). With Andy Langham on the piano, this band just doesn't get any better.

Saxophonist/Arranger Michael O’Neill takes a trip on the Latin side with Synergy, the newest album of classic pop and soul songs reimagined with an array of Afro-Latin grooves, featuring 11-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist Tony Lindsay, best known for his nearly two-decade tenure with Santana. The all-star band includes trumpeter Erik Jekabson, pianist John R. Burr, bassist Dan Feiszli, drummer Jason Lewis, and percussionist Omar Ledezma.

TWO SHOWS 5:30pm / 8pm

3-time Grammy nominee and international vocal powerhouse Roberta Gambarini teams up with celebrated pianist Tamir Hendelman in an intimate duo setting, celebrating the Great American Songbook, bebop evergreens, lesser-known music by Jobim, and more. Roberta first met Tamir at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, and he recorded on her Easy To Love and So In Love albums and has toured the US, Europe, and Japan with her. Join them in person as they collaborate on their first musical duo tour.

JAZZ PIANO MASTERS SERIES

Carmen Staaf explores the connections between compositions by Mary Lou Williams and well-known pieces by Thelonious Monk, who was mentored by Williams along with many of his bebop-era contemporaries. Carmen will be joined by Bay Area drummer Hamir Atwal. They’ll find new pathways into Williams and Monk, as well as the common ground between them. This special show is a live sneak preview of the project before they head into the studio the following day. Don't miss it!

JAZZ PIANO MASTERS SERIES

Ethan Iverson made history with the Bad Plus, and is now currently signed to Blue Note where he is part the storied label’s roster of cutting-edge artist. However, Iverson also considers the long game. Time Out New York selected Iverson as one of 25 essential New York jazz icons: “Perhaps NYC’s most thoughtful and passionate student of jazz tradition—the most admirable sort of artist-scholar.” For this event, Iverson will demonstrate a wide range of jazz piano styles and show how he brings the past to the future.

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.

Craig Reiss, Associate Principal 2nd Violinist with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra and member of the SF Opera Orchestra brings his Eos Ensemble to the piano store.  Along with Evan Kahn, Principal Cellist of the San Francisco Opera, and internationally renowned pianist Elizabeth Dorman, they will present a varied program of Piano Trios by Haydn and Dvorak.  Dvorak’s expressive Trio in F minor showcases the exuberant rustic style for which he is most famous as well as the anguish of the recent death of his mother.  Haydn titled his Trio in E flat minor “Jacob’s Dream” referring to the biblical story of the ladder ascending to heaven, and it imbues his inimitable classical style with elements of Austrian folk song.

SONGS & STORIES SERIES
Pianist, vocalist, and composer Katy Stephan sings a set of her favorite songs, including some originals. She’ll share stories about being a singer who also plays piano, singing in bands and choirs, and not being limited by genres. Followed by audience Q & A. Hosted by vocalist Sharmila G. Lash.

JAZZ PIANO MASTERS SERIES

arranger, educator, and recording artist George Cables has been performing as a bandleader and sideman for many years, along with the best the jazz world has to offer. Known for his own compositions as well as his creative interpretations of the standards, his repertoire is as varied as it is fun and engaging. Debuting at the piano store as a bandleader, he’ll be joined by Essiet Essiet (bass) and Jerome Jennings (drums).  The trio’s most recent recordings are on HighNote Records with a new release scheduled for this Fall.

Chilean singer, guitarist, and composer Camila Meza, along with bassist Or Bareket, will delight the audience with rhythms and influences from Latin America mixed with the improvisatory flame of Jazz in a conversational duo and a repertoire full of lyricism, storytelling, and virtuosic interpretations.

JAZZ PIANO MASTERS SERIES

Descended from a lineage of musical greats, Marc Cary takes the stage for an evening of solo piano exploration. A cornerstone of the post-bop movement, Cary's virtuosity transcends genres, weaving together elements of jazz, world, and soul music. Be prepared to be surprised, delighted, and immersed as you float, dance and groove to the boundless creativity of Marc Cary. 

Grammy Award winner with The Count Basie Orchestra and internationally renowned vocalist Jamie Davis will seduce you with his deep, velvety voice as he sings the music of the great jazz baritones, like Johnny Hartman, and much more. With a repertoire from Cole Porter to Stevie Wonder to Mingus, Jamie has the flexibility, sophistication, and effortless delivery to stand with any of the greats. His All-Star Band includes Grammy Award Winning pianist Glen Pearson, bassist Chris Amberger, drummer Leon Joyce, Jr., and tenor saxophonist Richard Howell. Don't miss this fabulous show!

In Tribute to Don Cherry

Renowned trumpeter/multi-instrumentalist Don Cherry made his first guest appearance with Peter Apfelbaum's Bay Area-based big band the Hieroglyphics Ensemble in 1988. A fruitful musical relationship was born, and Cherry recruited Apfelbaum and fellow Hieroglyphs Bo Freeman and Josh Jones to form Multikulti, Cherry's main touring group until his death in 1995. Since then, Apfelbaum and Jones have continued to perform together and will reunite with Freeman to celebrate their beloved, departed mentor, revisiting and offering fresh takes on material from their time as 3/4ths of Multikulti.

Classical pianist Rachel Breen returns to the piano store to perform a program featuring later works of German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (opp. 109 and 126), as well as some assorted short works. 

JAZZ PIANO MASTERS SERIES

Laurence Hobgood and Matthew Szemela first connected around 10 years ago; kindred musical spirits, they quickly realized an intuitively rare and potent connection, a mellifluous symbiosis in terms of how they’re able to listen to and play off of one another. Both virtuosos, both deeply invested in music as a conveyor of jubilance, reflection, humor, reverence — their interactions are an exciting and sometimes surprising paean to true musical expressionism — not to be missed!