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. With Bay Area stalwarts Ben Goldberg (clarinet) and Hamir Atwal (drums), and Dillon Vado,(drums), Carmen will play in solo, duo and trio formats to find new pathways into Williams, Monk, and the common ground between them. This special show is a live sneak preview and workshop of the project before the musicians head into the studio to record. (Line-up subject to change).
Pianist/composer Carmen Staaf is a rising force in the NYC and global music scenes. She has performed and recorded with some of the most influential and important musicians of our era. Currently, she is the pianist and Musical Director for NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater. Her past major performances have included the Playboy Jazz Festival in a two-piano setting with the legendary Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and the Kennedy Center alongside Kenny Barron and Fred Hersch. She has been heard at the Village Vanguard, Blue Note, SFJazz and major jazz festivals around the world including the Newport, Monterey, Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals, among many others. carmenstaaf.com. Carmen appeared in previous Earthwise events with Allison Miller, and with Todd Sickafoose group. Her appearance tonight is part of a residency that includes a show at Piedmont Piano (9/7) and a recording session co-produced by Earthwise.
