Longtime professional musicians Russ Becker and Stephen Roane present a program exploring the history of Connecticut native, innovative jazz composer, pianist and band leader Horace Silver. It features performance of some of his classic jazz compositions, discussion of his early life growing up in an ethnically and racially mixed family in Norwalk CT during the depression era, his early years as a professional musician in Hartford, and his ascent to becoming one of the most revered and influential composers and performers in jazz history, and his continued influence on musicians and music lovers worldwide.
Russ Becker is a longtime CT musician. Following graduation from the Hartford Conservatory of Music, he has been a member of the Stamford Symphony, the Hartford Civic Orchestra, musical theater orchestras, free lance soloist, commercial recording instrumentalist, a member of many bands, and ensembles in a variety of musical genres including, Radio Piece 3 (progressive rock), the Village Trio (chamber music), the Flying Particles (improvisational), Bop Tweed ( R&B ), Collectively Speaking (jazz) and his own jazz group The Russ Becker Quartet. Russ also taught saxophone, clarinet and flute at the Woodwind Studio in Clinton CT for 30 years, at the Community Music School for 12 years and at the prestigious New England Music Camp in Maine. Russ is now residing in Cromwell, CT.
A native New Yorker, guitarist and bassist Stephen Roane has performed and recorded with some of the top musicians on the NY jazz scene, including Eddie Bert, Sir Roland Hanna, Diane Schur, John Lewis, Tal Farlow, and Bucky Pizzarelli to name but a few. He has performed in venues including Carnegie Hall, the Bottom Line, Town Hall, Ryles, the Kate, and many many more. He is also a prolific composer, recording engineer, producer and studio owner, and has taught at Mercy College, Pace University, and the Music Conservatory of Westchester. Steve now resides in Madison, CT, teaches privately and currently performs with The Shoreline Jazz Quartet, The Flying Fish Quartet, saxophonist Bob Kolb, and pianist Davis Childs.
This program is free and open to all.
Please register.