Billy Childs All-Star Quartet

Give your ears a Valentine!

Thus far in his career, pianist/ composer Billy Childs has garnered ten Grammy nominations (winning three), a Chamber Music America Composer’s Grant, a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award.

Most recently, Billy has released an astonishingly beautiful collection of re-imagined Laura Nyro compositions for Sony Masterworks (garnering yet another Grammy Nomination) featuring Renee Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, Wayne Shorter, Alison Kraus, Dianne Reeves, Chris Botti, Esperanza Spalding, Lisa Fischer and Becca Stevens. It’s one of those albums you just want to play over and over again. Something new unfolds each time! And let us not forget he can swing in the most subtle of jazz genres.

Steve Wilson - Alto & Soprano Sax

"Wilson is among the best New York jazz has to offer. For nearly three decades he has reigned as jazz's most consistently inspired alto and soprano saxophonist. A musician's musician" —New York Times

"Seeing Steve Wilson's name on a jazz bill is as close to a guarantee of quality as you'll ever find" –Time Out NY

"Renowned for soulful performance on a bed of flowing, flawless technique" —The Daily News

"Steve Wilson combines economy and modernity" —New York Times

"Impossibly, achingly gorgeous turn on soprano saxophone" —All About Jazz

The opportunity to hear him as an integral part of the Billy Childs quartet will be a treat.

Hans Glawischnig -bass

Hans has amassed an impressive body of work since moving to New York in the early nineties. The Austrian native has provided a firm foundation for artists including Bobby Watson's Urban Renewal Band, saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera and vibraphonist Stefon Harris.

Glawischnig's attributes include power and melodism in the vein of players such as Dave Holland. But there's also a refined thread of classical training, especially when you hear his impeccable bow work. His original compositions cover a landscape of ideas that are further proof of  his sharp abilities as a musician and composer.

Han's gifted accompaniment and soloing voice are a reflection of his many gigs and sessions with Ray Barretto’s renowned New World Spirit ensemble. His is a prodigious bass talent.

Johnathan Blake -drums

"Blake paints sound with his cymbals" —allaboutjazz.com

"The ultimate modernist, Johnathan Blake is one of the most accomplished drummers of his generation who has proven himself a complete and endlessly versatile musician" — John Murph of NPR

"Blake's gift for composition and band-leading reflects years of live and studio experience across the aesthetic spectrum." —Jazz Times

Through long-time memberships in the Tom Harrell Quintet, the Kenny Barron Trio and other top ensembles, Johnathan has reaped the benefits of prolonged exposure to the greats of our time — arguably of all time. Blake has made a huge imprint on the music of today with the clarity of his beat, the incisiveness of his swing, his powerful evocative drumming and fully rounded artistry.

This concert is made possible by grants from the Western Jazz Presenters Network, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.