The Oshman Family JCC Presents The Kenny Barron Trio & The Avishai Cohen Quartet

OSHMAN FAMILY JCC PRESENTS

JAZZ STARS

KENNY BARRON TRIO – Sept. 14

AVISHAI COHEN QUARTET – Sept. 18

PALO ALTO, CA (21 July, 2017) — The Oshman Family JCC presents two one-night-only concerts of acclaimed jazz ensembles, the Kenny Barron Trio and the Avishai Cohen Quartet. First up will be National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Master and GRAMMY™ nominated-pianist Kenny Barron performing with his trio 8:00pm, Thursday, September 14. The Oshman Family JCC will also present Israeli-born trumpeter Avishai Cohen, leading his exceptional quartet in concert 8:00pm, Monday, September 18. Performances will take place at the Oshman Family JCC Schultz Cultural Arts Hall, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. For tickets ($35-$80) and more information the public may visit paloaltojcc.org/barron and paloaltojcc.org/cohen or call (650) 223-8649.

Kenny Barron Trio – Thu., Sept. 14, 8pm

Heralded as “one of the top jazz pianists in the world” by the Los Angeles Times, composer and pianist Kenny Barron has the ability to mesmerize audiences with his elegant playing, sensitive melodies and infectious rhythms. His musical inspiration spans a wide gamut of interests; including driving bebop, tender ballads, and Brazilian calypso. Since getting his start playing with Dizzie Gillespie in the early 60’s, Barron has jammed with jazz legends including James Moody, Buddy Rich, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, Freddie Hubbard, and Lionel Hampton. In 1973, he began teaching at Rutgers University, and at Juilliard, he continues to mentor the finest young jazz musicians. Barron has been nominated for 11 GRAMMY™ awards, has made more than 50 solo albums, and has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman.

The Kenny Barron Trio, which also includes bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa and drummer Justin Faulkner, will perform songs from its 2017 GRAMMY™-nominated album. Japanese bassist and composer Kiyoshi Kitagawa has played with many leading names in jazz including Jimmy Heath, Andy Bey, Kenny Garrett, Makoto Ozone, Ben Riley, and Terell Stafford, and leads his own trio. Highlighted by Ben Ratliff of The New York Times as one of the “five drummers whose time is now,” protégé drummer Justin Faulkner burst into the jazz scene at the age of 18, when he replaced Jeff “Tain” Watts in Branford Marsalis’ Quartet. Now 26, Faulkner has performed across the globe, also appearing alongside Wynton Marsalis, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Tim Warfield, Mingus Big Band, and Jimmy Heath.

Avishai Cohen Quartet – Mon. Sept. 18, 8pm

Named “Best Foreign Artist” by Jazz Magazine France, Israeli-born trumpeter Avishai Cohen’s soulful and impressionistic style adeptly ranges from loose and daring improvisation to contemplative, expansive soundscapes. Ben Ratliff of The New York Times says “Cohen is a multicultural jazz musician, among whose ancestors is Miles Davis. Like Davis, he can make the trumpet a vehicle for uttering the most poignant human cries.” After touring with the Young Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra and performing under the likes of maestros Zubin Mehta, Kurt Masur, and Kent Nagano, Cohen gained international attention by placing third in the Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition. Along with leading his quartet, Cohen has led Triveni, was a member of the prestigious SF Jazz Collective for six years, and has been a featured soloist in a number of special ensembles – most recently in “Jazz 100” alongside Danilo Perez, Lizz Wright, Chris Potter, and Wycliffe Gordon.

Cohen’s all-star ensemble includes pianist Yonathan Avishai, bassist Barak Mori and drummer Nasheet Waits. The quartet will perform pieces from its newly-released 2017 album Cross My Palm With Silver, which followed Cohen’s critically-lauded 2016 album Into the Silence, named “Best Album of the Year” by both Paris radio station TSF Jazz and France’s Academie du Jazz, and hailed as one of the year’s top 20 albums by Jazz Times. A childhood friend of Cohen’s, French-Israeli pianist Yonathan Avishai is acclaimed in French Jazz circles. Israeli bassist Barak Mori has performed across the globe with distinguished jazz artists Paula West, Anat Cohen, Eric Reed, Peter Cincotti, Madeline Peyroux, and Eli Degibri, in venues including the Red Sea Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Olympia Theater in Paris, and as a musical guest on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Jay Leno Show and The Today Show. Son of famed percussionist Freddie Waits, Nasheet Waits got his start in the notable percussion ensemble M’BOOM. “Nasheet Waits unwraps an extraordinary body of work that serves as a showcase for his vibrant driving grooves and impeccable compositions,” says Jazz Trail of his 2016 album Between Nothingness and Infinity.

About the Oshman Family JCC

The Oshman Family Jewish Community Center (OFJCC) on the Taube Koret Campus for Jewish Life serves the South Peninsula through educational, social, cultural, fitness, sports and other programs. The OFJCC is a multi-generational Jewish neighborhood where all are welcome, and which seeks to enrich lives, build community and inspire Jewish journeys. The OFJCC provides a common ground for individuals, Jewish institutions, and other local groups and organizations and individuals to work, learn, play and celebrate together for the betterment of the whole community. The OFJCC’s registered trademarks are Live Fully® and J-Pass®. For more information, visit www.paloaltojcc.org or call (650) 223-8700.