Bman's Blues Report

October 2012 In this issue Lockerbie Jazz Festival Kobe Jazz Street Festival Upcoming Release of Nouveau Stride Album November West Coast Tour Dear Friends, I hope this message finds you well, and that if you are affected by the big storm on the East Coast of the U.S., you are safe and sound.  Since my last newsletter, I've had some fun experiences playing in Scotland and Japan, and now am looking forward to a new CD release as well as to my annual tour of California. Lockerbie Jazz Festival My overseas trip at the end of September began in the United Kingdom with the Lockerbie Jazz Festival.  It was my first time to play and to be in Scotland.  This festival combines both traditional and modern styles, so I was honored to be one of the musicians representing classic jazz.  I had the chance to see a good part of the countryside -- miles and miles of open pasture dotted with sheep ...

Jazz Party in Florida I just returned from a fantastic weekend at the Fourth Annual Arbors Records Invitational Jazz Party in Clearwater Beach, Florida. I was honored to be able to perform on the same stage with six incredible jazz pianists: Dick Hyman, Louis Mazetier, Rossano Sportiello, Paolo Alderighi, John Sheridan, and Ehud Asherie. Also present at the festival were about 30 other musicians, all legends of the mainstream or classic jazz fields. Having the opportunity to play with them in a couple of group sets was truly special. Arbors Records really knows how to put on a great party for both the musicians and the audience! I hope you get the opportunity to attend one of these parties, if you haven't already. There was video taken at the event, but it hasn't surfaced yet on YouTube. When it does, I'll let you know! Upcoming Concerts This month I will be giving several concerts in the St. Louis area with Paolo Alderighi, a terrific jazz pianist from...

Dear Friends, Happy Holidays! I just returned from a marathon tour in California -- four fantastic weeks of concerts and festivals.  Highlights included the West Coast Ragtime Festival in Sacramento, the San Diego Thanksgiving Dixieland Jazz Festival, and a fascinating visit to a unique liberal arts college in the high desert of California, just east of the Sierra Nevadas. West Coast Ragtime Festival One of the largest festivals of its kind, the West Coast Ragtime Festival always presents some of the best performers of early piano styles, such as Brian Holland, Carl Sonny Leyland, Frederick Hodges, and others.  All of these pianists and I have much respect and admiration for the musical genius of Dick Hyman; here's a composition of his that I performed that weekend.  I also had the opportunity to play a couple of sets with the fantastic drummer Danny Coots, who brought a lot of grea...

Traverse City Concert I had the opportunity to play a concert with Mr. B. (Mark Braun, the fantastic blues and boogie pianist from Ann Arbor, Michigan) in beautiful Traverse City. We had a blast playing duets with each other, and the attendees were so lovely and enthusiastic. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures or videos from this concert, but you'll have to take my word for it that there was a lot of energy in that auditorium! I also had some free time to enjoy the changing fall colors on the peninsula, as well as some delicious chocolate-covered dried cherries from the "cherry capital of the world!" Piano Summit in Cincinnati Another highlight of my travels was Ricky Nye's Blues and Boogie Piano Summit, which took place last weekend at the historic Southgate House in Newport, Kentucky.  Ricky is an excellent organizer and host, and the musicians had the chance to play together in many different situations.  So by the time the concert rolled around on S...

Happy October! I hope you are doing well. As I'm writing this, I'm on the plane coming home from Seattle, after the two debut concerts of Nouveau Stride with Lorraine Feather... I get a big kick out of sharing this melodic, swinging music from the 1930s with people, and I'm grateful that I have these opportunities. Since my last newsletter, I had concerts in the Washington, DC area; Kansas City; Chicago; Syracuse, NY; and finally, the Seattle area. "It was a fun show! I didn't realize that I liked stride... I guess I didn't even know what stride was!" -- Comment from a recent thirty-something concert attendee It was fun to meet so many enthusiastic fans of this music at these events. Some had traveled hundreds of miles to come, including the Diamonds of Newport News, VA, who shot this video from the Northern Virginia Ragtime Society concert in Fairfax. Hyde Park Jazz Festival I really enjoyed being on the campus o...

Upcoming Performances I'll be on the East Coast this weekend and then I have a couple of gigs in the Midwest the following week. If you are near any of these venues, please check them out! Also, some exciting shows are coming up in October, so I wanted to let you know now so you can reserve your tickets ahead of time. More information about all of these events may be found on my website at stephanietrick.com/schedule.htm Artist in Residence at Syracuse University October 3-5 Debut Nouveau Stride performances with Lorraine Feather in Eastsound, WA October 7-8 - 7:30 p.m. Stride Piano Summit in Las Vegas October 18-19 Featuring Dick Hyman, Paul Asaro, Carl Sonny Leyland, Brian Holland, Mike Lipskin, Jeff Barnhart, Neville Dickie, and John Royen; "Generation Next" Performers - Max Keenlyside, Will Perkins, Dalton Ridenhour, Martin Spitznagel, and Stephanie Trick Concert with Mr. B in Traverse City, MI October 22 - 8:00 p.m. Orders Being Ta...

Stephanie Trick “has come to practically dominate the stride piano field,” notes reviewer Jack Rummel. Harlem stride piano, which developed in the 1920s and ’30s, is an orchestral style of two-handed piano playing that not only swings, but is also technically demanding and exciting to watch. Louis Mazetier, a respected interpreter of this genre, writes in the Bulletin of the Hot Club of France that she has “won the esteem of specialists in the genre with wonderful interpretations of stride classics, James P. Johnson, Fats Waller, and Don Lambert (which she learned by ear). She plays these pieces with a punch that is matched by her precise interpretation.” A classically trained pianist, Stephanie began playing piano at the age of five. During the time between her beginning years and high school, her piano teacher exposed her to early jazz styles, and the syncopation and swinging rhythm piqued her interest. While in college, it became clear to Stephanie that she wanted to pursue stride a...