2022 Solo Piano Festival Recap

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The Solo Jazz Piano Festival is one of the solid cornerstones of the VJC’s programming. Now in its 6th year, it has presented some of the world’s top pianists including NEA Jazz Masters Toshiko Akiyoshi and Joanne Brackeen; jazz legends Stanley Cowell, Luis Perdomo, Helen Sung, Kirk Lightsey, Orrin Evans and George Cables; emerging artists have included Christian Sands, Julius Rodriguez, Miro Sprague, Franz Robert, Kris Adams and Craig Taborn. Renowned piano-educators David Berkman and Kenny Werner have also been presented.
Because the piano is an instrument that has an expansive range, it conveys harmony, melody and rhythm all at the same time. One of the greatest piano legends of all time, Oscar Peterson, stated: “I believe in using the entire piano as a single instrument capable of expressing every possible musical idea.” This richness, this vast capability to convey different voices simultaneously has led to a history of artistry that is well-worth the time to investigate. A little digging reveals a treasure-trove of recordings that prove the instrument’s capacity to play orchestrally in a solo context; these recordings also demonstrate the instrument’s capacity to anticipate new trends in the music, specifically when related to harmonic, rhythmic and sonic exploration. By seeking out solo recordings of Art Tatum, Thelonious Monk, Mary Lou Williams, Brad Mehldau, Keith Jarrett, Gerri Allen, Abdullah Ibrahim and Kris Adams, listeners will discover the accessible connection of the piano to jazz standards, but they will also find that the wide-ranging options inherent in the piano’s sound and structure encourages creativity. In listening closely to the vast variety of approaches, one finds that recordings of piano music throughout jazz history give us a lens to see the instrument’s tendency to create and predict new exciting trends that might just be around the corner. One of the intentions of the VJC’s Solo Piano Festival is to give audiences an opportunity to experience those trends first hand, to observe and appreciate each of the different artists’ approaches, historical context, sound, repertoire, and emotional depth while performing within hours of each other on the exact same instrument.
The Festival honors the tradition of the piano as an instrument that has stylistically and historically paved the way for other instruments to follow. The piano’s significance in the history of jazz is especially pronounced when examining the music’s roots. For example, the traditions of ragtime and blues piano were expanded and improvisation was given more emphasis in the pioneering work of the New Orleans pianist Jelly Roll Morton in the early 1900s. His arrangements moved the swing feeling forward, they featured the improvisational capabilities of his fellow musicians using new arranging styles and they showcased Morton’s own pianistic virtuosity, giving him a new, public forum to demonstrate his untethered creative ideas.
This year’s festival features recognized artists as well as talents deserving wider recognition. The most familiar artists are Benny Green, whose recording credits include tenures and recordings with Ray Brown, Art Blakey and Bobby Watson to name a few, and Grammy-award winning Sullivan Fortner who is best known for his work with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and MacArthur Fellow vocalist Cécile McLaurin Salvant. Exciting and highly accomplished, yet lesser-known artists headlining this festival includes the co-leader of the Black Art Jazz Collective, Xavier Davis, who has recorded with Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis and Betty Carter (and many others), and Fulbright Award-winner Arcoiris Sandoval, a trend-setting composer and arranger who records with Allan Harris and her own group, Sonic Asylum.
The solo piano idiom is a microcosm of jazz that provides a fascinating and authentic lens through which to listen to and understand the broader impact and deep history of our music.

April 22-23, 2022

VIDEO I
Feature Concert & Interviews (upper right)
Arcoiris Sandoval, solo piano
Sullivan Fortner, solo piano

VIDEO II
Educational Offerings, Part I (upper right)
Masterclass Arcoiris Sandoval: Composing as a Healing Force
Masterclass Sullivan Fortner: It’s a Game
Masterclass Xavier Davis: The Human Aspect of Music

VIDEO II
Educational Offerings, Part I (lower left)
Performance/Interview with Emerging Artist Andrew Wilcox
Performance/Interviewwith Emerging Artist Roella Oloro
Masterclass Benny Green: Practicing
Pianist Panel Discussion (Juried Questions)

VIDEO IV (lower right)
Feature Concert & Interviews
Xavier Davis, solo piano
Benny Green, solo piano