Happy Hour Piano Series ON FOURTH FRIDAYS
After-Work Happy Hour—A Blend of Music and Art
Doors: 5pm
Music: 5:30–6:30pm
$6 at the door (or free with AMP Pass)
Join us for happy hour! On fourth Fridays, AMP will be extending its exhibit hours for a new piano series. Relax and unwind after work with craft and domestic beer, wine, and more at the cash bar, mingle with friends and coworkers, and peruse the mural gallery with musical accompaniment.
The piano series is made possible thanks to Kim and Jeff Greenberg.
T.J. Thompson, Blues, Soul, and Jazz Piano
Friday, April 26, 5–7pm
T.J. Thompson, of T.J. Thompson Trio, has performed with Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead and was a featured artist on Branford Marsalis’ Jazz Set. He’s been a teacher and performer for more than 25 years, playing the blues, soul, and jazz of New Orleans, Memphis, and more. His albums include Take 2: The Sound of Playing.
Past Performances
Jen Allen is a member of the prestigious BMI Jazz Composers Workshop and was one of only eight pianists from around the world to be selected to participate in the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Workshop event at Kennedy Center, in Washington DC. She has performed with such jazz notables as Don Braden, Jimmy Greene, Kendrick Oliver, Sarah Caswell, Camille Thurman, Freddie Hendrix, Nat Reeves, Kris Allen, Ike Sturm, and Antoinette Montague. Her latest album is Sifting Grace.
Listen to Jen at: jenallenmusic.com
Photos by Sky Johnson
Due to illness, Michael Cassavant filled in for Jeff Boratko. Thank you, Cazz! Cazz is a lifelong musician on the verge of becoming a multi-instrumentalist, but for now, is just a piano player. He has spent the bulk of his career teaching piano students between the ages of six and 90 how to and how not to play the piano. About ten-ish years ago, while sitting for an interview with himself, he revealed that it was time to get out and play more in front of live human beings. A woman, and songwriter, Erin Earth, who would become his wife in 2021, agreed by saying, “yes.” He would then figure out how to sing and play at the same time. While not being a player who plays exactly like another pianist, you can hear such influences as Dr. John and Leon Russell.
Dynamic classical pianist Maria Centola, of ensemble InfiniTango fame, played a fusion of classical and tango music. Maria has performed alongside Grammy Award-winning musicians of Argentine tango music. Her unique arrangements and interpretations are fused with Italian, French, 1920s-30s jazz, and Latin rhythms.
