"Where's Warren's" 50th Birthday Solo Concert (at The Buttonwood Tree, 1/24, @8PM)

Youngster Warren Byrd will premier new works and present other pieces never before performed in public on Buttonwood Tree’s refurbished Steinway as well as selected vocal numbers—as a 50th Birthday celebration!

Hartford, CT native Warren Byrd started playing the piano at age 10, soon gathered some formal training on the instrument intermittently during his teen years. However, he developed primarily as a self-taught player inspired by the fine exemplars in his church community, from his theatrical delving, and the myriad recordings cherished by his family, especially jazz. Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell and Horace Silver would be his main influences in jazz piano.

Yet composition always had a strong penchant for him: he considers it the cornerstone and lifeblood of his musical life. Though he studied some music theory at South Catholic High School in Hartford and subsequently at Hartt College of Music, he had begun composing from his first tinkerings with piano. His list of endeared composers and songwriters is extremely large and eclectic. In fact, he prefers to think he’s “a sponge of sound”.

For his Birthday, while he’ll focus much on his jazz-oriented compositions, his songwriting will come into the fore as well. He’ll also indulge in his penchant for improvisation born of years of musical exploration.

Come help him celebrate his years on the planet.

For more information and to LISTEN, visit his website athttp://www.warrenbyrd.com/music