RC ‘Originations’ Ensemble – Live at Hyde Park Jazz Festival 9/29/18 (photo: Harvey Tillis)

Had an AMAZING experience performing ‘Originations’ with my 10-piece jazz chamber ensemble at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival (Reva and David Logan Center Concert Hall) this past weekend. The set was received with a standing ovation from a capacity crowd and called a “high point” of the festival by the Chicago Tribune. It was an excellent sendoff to the studio where I am currently recording this project with an extraordinary group of musicians – John Wojciechowski, Geof Bradfield, Tito Carrillo, James Cammack, Michael Raynor and the KAIA String Quartet. The album is slated for a 2019 release. Can’t wait to share this music with you! Stay tuned…

Ellen Priest is a wonderful artist based in Delaware who is in the final phases of completing a three-year project creating paintings and drawings based on my 2013 Motéma album The River. She will be unveiling her work in 2019 at Saint Peter’s Church in NYC which will include performances of the music by my group. Stay tuned for details. Below is a recent profile feature WHYY News in Delaware did on Ellen and this project. Check it out…

I’m very much looking forward to working with the Purdue University as their Artist-in-Residence for their 2018 jazz festival. Saturday, January 20 I will be performing with the Purdue Jazz Band as guest soloist along with Victor Goines and Dan Fornero and premiering a new big band arrangement of an original composition of mine commissioned by the university in celebration of their sesquicentennial. This week leading up to the festival, I will be coaching large and small ensembles at several high schools around Purdue in additional to leading a master-class on improvisation in the afternoon of the festival. For scheduling and other details on the Purdue Jazz Festival – Indiana’s largest jazz fest – click the above photo.

Very happy to have a composition of mine (performed by trumpeter Orbert Davis’s group, featuring yours truly on piano) in director Bette Gordon‘s latest film The Drowning premiering Wednesday, May 10 at the IFC Center in NYC!

This Thursday thru Sunday (Feb 23-26), I will be performing at the historic Jazz Showcase in Chicago with my quartet featuring John Wojciechowski on woodwinds, James Cammack on bass and George Fludas on drums. I am really psyched to play four consecutive nights with these brilliant musicians and very happy to have James – a 30-year veteran of the Ahmad Jamal Trio and collaborator of mine from early in my career – returning to the group for these dates. I hope you can join us!