Richard Sears Trio at the Maybeck
Sunday, September 27, 2015, 3:00pm
This concert is $20 | $10 w/ student ID (suggested donation).
Seating is limited. Get your required online reservation here.
Great jazz performances take a listener to a realm that’s both intimately familiar and bracingly new. This exceptional young trio led by Los Gatos-raised pianist Richard Sears dwells in that sweet spot between tradition and discovery. Focusing on Sears’ beautifully wrought original compositions, Skyline is a response to the lush beauty and grandeur of the Santa Cruz Mountains, where it was recorded. Beyond the idyllic studio setting, Sears draws deep inspiration from the company he’s been keeping. He recently recorded his six-part suite for drum legend Tootie Heath commissioned by the Los Angeles Jazz Society. And one week before this session he filled in for Ethan Iverson in the quartet of drum maestro Billy Hart. The story Skyline tells is really about jazz itself and the way that sensitive musicians can respond to each other and their immediate surroundings. While many of his contemporaries are casting a wide net for influences, Sears and his bandmates are savvy post-bop explorers dedicated to expanding the jazz idiom from within.”
- Andrew Gilbert writes for the San Francisco Chronicle and San Jose Mercury News
“Richard Sears is a fierce young pianist – exploding with technique, energy, and art”
– Brick Wahl | LA Weekly