Concerts with the finest Jazz artists brought to your home
GMF ONLINE CONCERT SERIES
Solo Concerts with some of the finest artists in Jazz today
Each concert will be 30 minutes long and will be followed by a Q&A session with the performing artist.
The concerts will be live on Zoom. We have done all we can to achieve the best possible audio experience but we can only work within the bounds of the technology available at present. We advise using headphones.
ADVANCE BOOKING ESSENTIAL
Booking closes 60 minutes before the start of concert to allow time to process payments and send out the meeting ID and password. With the increased amount of traffic in cyberspace at this time some replies are being delayed. To ensure that you receive your meeting ID and password in time please book as far in advance as possible. The meeting ID will be sent to you approximately 1 hour before the concert starts.
DAVID O’ROURKE
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 11
9.00 PM EUROPE / 8.00 PM UK / 3.00 PM NEW YORK / 12.00PM LA
TICKET PRICE €10.00 / £10.00 / $13.00
David O’Rourke - guitars
In this performance David O’Rourke gives his heartfelt and soulful interpretations of spirituals and traditional folk songs from Ireland and America. Included in the concert will be the following songs, amongst others:
"Standing In The Need Of Prayer", "Malted Milk Blues", "Sweet Hour Of Prayer" "The Spanish Lady", "The Lakes Of Ponchartrain"
David has played with many jazz legends such as Tommy Flanagan’s Trio, Cedar Walton’s Trio, Jackie McLean, Billy Higgins, Curtis Fuller, James Spaulding, Vernal Fournier, and Brother Jack McDuff. He collaborated with drummer Lewis Nash on a project that brought Irish music and jazz together for a CD (“Aisling”) by a band they called “The Celtic Jazz Collective”. They played several runs at Jazz Standard as well as a performance in Harvard sponsored by the Cambridge Multicultural Center. David recorded a CD with Larry Willis (piano), Bob Cranshaw (bass) and Al Harewood (drums) and later on wrote an extended orchestral medley from Porgy And Bess for Larry Willis to perform with the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra. His close friendship with George Benson and Hammond B3 player Seleno Clarke led to a 12 year stint with Seleno’s Quintet. From their Harlem base the quintet played festivals in the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada and at various US festivals.
For over a decade, New York City based jazz guitarist, conductor, and arranger he has guided tomorrow’s jazz musicians as ‘house bandleader’ of the Jazz Standard Youth Orchestra. And for his contributions to Jazz Standard Discovery (a music education program that he has led since 1998), David and co-founder James Polsky were named “New Yorkers Of The Week” by NY1 News. He has played with Les Paul and Bucky Pizzarelli and studied with legends such as Barry Galbraith and Pat Martino. He currently leads and writes for his own 20-piece band (The O’Rourkestra) at the Zinc Bar NYC.
O’Rourke is in demand as a jazz conductor and arranger and is currently creating arrangements for the debut tour (Japan) of drummer Lewis Nash’s Big Band. He conducted the RTE Concert Orchestra for two years in succession as music director/conductor of the tributes to arranger Nelson Riddle. He conducted for Steve Wilson’s “Bird With Strings” at SUNY New Paltz, conducted Steve’s 50th birthday run at Jazz Standard and wrote string arrangements for trumpeter Jeremy Pelt’s “Close To My Heart” recording followed by performances at Jazz Standard NY and Sirius Satellite Radio, and in 2014 a concert performance at the prestigious London venue; Kings Place.
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Booking closes 60 minutes before the start of concert to allow time to process payments and send passwords.
BRUCE BARTH
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12
9.00 PM PARIS / 8.00 PM LON / 3.00 PM NY / 12.00PM LA
TICKET PRICE €10.00 / £10.00 / $13.00
Bruce Barth - solo piano
Bruce Barth, solo pianoJazz pianist and composer Bruce Barth has been sharing his music with listeners the world over for more than two decades. Deeply rooted in the jazz tradition, his music reflects both the depth and breadth of his life and musical experiences. In addition to traveling widely performing his own music, he has also performed with revered jazz masters, as well as collaborated with leading musicians of his own generation. And most notably, his performances feature material from his large book of very powerful and imaginative original compositions, written in a voice that is both deeply personal and expressive. Tony Bennett, with whom Bruce toured for over a year, says "I have a great love for excellent musicians, and Bruce Barth is one of my favourites."
Bruce has performed on over one hundred recordings and movie soundtracks, including ten as a leader. He is equally at home playing solo piano (American Landscape on Satchmo Jazz Records), leading an all-star septet (East and West on MaxJazz), and composing for a variety of ensembles. His trio has recorded live at the legendary Village Vanguard in New York City.
Originally from Pasadena, California, Barth started piano lessons at the age of five, with a natural tendency to play by ear. He fell in love with jazz as a teenager, and learned by listening, later studying at New England Conservatory in Boston. While in Boston, he recorded George Russell's masterpiece, "The African Game" for Blue Note Records.
Within a year of moving to Brooklyn in 1988, Barth toured Japan with Nat Adderley. He started working with Vincent Herring and Stanley Turrentine, and joined Terence Blanchard's quintet in 1990. During the next four years, he toured extensively with Blanchard, recorded six CD's and several movie soundtracks, and played onscreen in Spike Lee's film, Malcolm X.
While in Blanchard's band, he recorded his first two CD's as a leader, In Focus and Morning Call on the Enja label, both which were chosen for the New York Times' top ten lists in their respective years. These recordings displayed not only Barth's piano work, but the scope of his original com positions and memorable arrangements of jazz standards.
He has continued to release a stream of critically acclaimed recordings in solo, trio, quintet and septet groupings, the latter featured on his 2001 release East and West; with an all-star group playing Barth's compositions based on memories of his childhood experiences in the Western United States -- deserts, ranches, and ghost towns. His Live at the Village Vanguard CD was second on the national radio charts, and won international critical acclaim.
Some of Barth's recent appearances include trio performances at Village Vanguard, Jazz Standard, and Smoke in New York, several major European Festivals including San Sebastian, Stockholm, and Barcelona, and solo piano tours of Japan. His septet has played in several festivals, including Terrassa, Spain, and Braga, Portugal.
He has performed with James Moody, Art Farmer, Phil Woods, Tony Bennett, Freddie Hubbard, Tom Harrell, Victor Lewis, John Patitucci, Lewis Nash, Vincent Herring, George Robert, Steve Wilson, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, David Sanchez, Terell Stafford, Tim Armacost, Luciana Souza, Karrin Allyson, Dave Stryker, and the Mingus Big Band.
WHAT THE PRESS SAYS
"One of the best pianists in town, period." - Village Voice
"At the piano, no one sounds quite like Barth. His solos are characterized by robust swing, by his ability to tell a story, and by his rich, beguiling sound. - Newark Star-Ledger
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Booking closes 30 minutes before the start of concert to allow time to process payments and send passwords.
"I have a great love for excellent musicians, and Bruce Barth is one of my favourites." - Tony Bennet
HYUNA PARK
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 13
9.00 PM PARIS / 8.00 PM LON / 3.00 PM NY / 12.00PM LA
TICKET PRICE €10.00 / £10.00 / $13.00
Hyuna Park - solo piano
An award-winning jazz pianist, Hyuna Park’s musical universe is both deeply connected to New York and its vibrant jazz tradition while at the same time embracing her Korean and classical roots. She was the 2018 winner of the International Women in Jazz (IWJ) festival as well as the Jimmy Heath Award. She has graced the stage with Grammy award-winners such as Linda Oh, Luis Bonilla, Michael Mossman and Vincent Herring and performed at notable venues like the Kennedy Center and the French Embassy in Washington D.C., the Dizzy Gillespie Auditorium, and at the UN as well as a number of Embassies and Cultural Centers throughout NYC.
Hyuna formed a trio in 2018 with country/folk bassist Myles Sloniker and funk drummer Peter Traunmueller as a non-traditional band that infuses various styles and musical elements into their core jazz repertoire. Hyuna and her band are regulars at many of the more prestigious jazz venues in New York City such as Zinc bar, Iridium, Club Bonafide, The Metropolitan Room, and The Django.
“Hyuna Park is a beautiful new voice on the piano. She plays with a feeling and maturity that is rare.”
— Vincent Herring
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Booking closes 30 minutes before the start of concert to allow time to process payments and send passwords.
ANTONIO CIACCA
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 18
9.00 PM PARIS / 8.00 PM LON / 3.00 PM NY / 12.00PM LA
TICKET PRICE €10.00 / £10.00 / $13.00
Antonio Ciacca - solo piano
Born in Germany, raised in Italy and educated in the United States, pianist, composer, and arts-presenter Antonio Ciacca has established himself as an indomitable artist, consummate musician, and powerful advocate of the gospel and jazz tradition.
Ciacca’s extensive music industry experience and comprehensive artistic vision led to his being tapped to take on the position of Director of Programming at Jazz at Lincoln Center, a role he held from 2007 through 2011.
Throughout his career, Ciacca has served as a tireless jazz advocate and educator, and in 2009 expanded this role as he began teaching “Business of Jazz” at the esteemed Juilliard School of Music in New York.
As a bandleader, Ciacca’s work is documented in 12 highly acclaimed albums.
Ciacca began his career as a sideman for such acclaimed jazz artists as Art Farmer, James Moody, Lee Konitz, Jonny Griffin, Mark Murphy, Dave Liebman, Steve Grossman, who he cites as his mentor and with whom he studied for three years beginning in 1990.
One of the most important events in Ciacca’s career was an invitation to join the legendary saxophonist Steve Lacy’s quartet in 1997; he continued to perform with Lacy for seven years. Another key encounter that would have long lasting musical and professional repercussions for Ciacca took place in 1997. “Wynton Marsalis was performing in Italy with Elvin Jones, who was Antonio's son’s godfather. He first saw him at the Bologna Jazz Festival in 1989, and this is what really opened my eyes to jazz. He now performs regularly in New York and tours 3 times a year - under normal circumstances.
Ciacca’s skills as a vital composer are also documented in music books: The Music of Antonio Ciacca, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 as well as the companion books: Driemoty, Rush Life, Lagos Blues, Chococlate Suite, Orsara Suite, and the classical pieces String Quartet n.1 in F, Sinfonia n.1.
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Booking closes 30 minutes before the start of concert to allow time to process payments and send passwords.
GABRIELLE STRAVELLI - MIKE KANAN - PAT O’LEARY
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 19
9.00 PM PARIS / 8.00 PM LON / 3.00 PM NY / 12.00PM LA
TICKET PRICE €10.00 / £10.00 / $13.00
Gabrielle has toured the United States with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra performing his masterwork Abyssinian: A Gospel Celebration. She was chosen by world-renowned jazz pianist Fred Hersch to premiere his song cycle, Rooms of Light, at Montclair University PAC.
In 2020, she was honored with the Bistro Award for Outstanding Recording (“Pick Up My Pieces”); the 2019 Broadway World Cabaret Award for Best Jazz Vocalist; the 2015 MAC Award for Best Female Vocalist; and the 2015 Bistro Award as a Jazz Vocalist.
Since 2015 she has toured internationally with the “American Music Abroad” (AMA) program, performing and teaching throughout Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. In 2019, Gabrielle and her quintet headlined the Providencia Jazz Festival in Santiago, Chile, the Las Condes Jazz Festival and the 10th Annual Semana Internacional de Jazz en la Patagonia. She appeared at the 2019 Kota Kinabalu Music and Dance Festival in Malaysia, the 2016 Eleuthera All That Jazz Festival in the Bahamas, the 2013 Maree Sonore Festival in Venice and the 2013 Kastav Cultural in Croatia.
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Booking closes 30 minutes before the start of concert to allow time to process payments and send passwords.
“Ms. Stravelli’s emotional intelligence coincides with a phenomenal voice that she wielded with an easygoing confidence and impeccable taste.” -Stephen Holden, The New York Times
JIM RIDL
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 20
9.00 PM PARIS / 8.00 PM LON / 3.00 PM NY / 12.00PM LA
TICKET PRICE €10.00 / £10.00 / $13.00
Jim Ridl is a jazz pianist, composer, arranger and teacher residing in the New York City area. He performs internationally with the Jim Ridl Trio and Quartet, the Dave Liebman Big Band, the Mingus Big Band, Ximo Tebar’s IVAM Jazz Ensemble of Spain, and the Tim Horner Quintet.
Jim’s tenure with jazz guitar legend Pat Martino received many critically acclaimed reviews of performances around the world and produced 3 outstanding recordings: Interchange, Night Wings and The Maker.
Additionally, Jim has performed and/or recorded with Randy Brecker, Marc Johnson, James Moody, Slide Hampton, Clark Terry, Mickey Roker, Billy Hart, Mark Murphy, Ravi Coltrane, the Woody Herman Orchestra, the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, Bill Stewart, Denis DiBlasio, Rich Matteson, Marko Marcinko, Tim Horner, Ralph Bowen, Donny McCaslin, Mark Walker, Michael Pedicin, Jean Michel Pilc, Dick and Ted Nash, Ari Hoenig, Jimmy Bruno, Tim Warfield, Terrell Stafford, Vic Juris, Paul Nash, Carla Cook, Francois Moutin, Bruce Williamson, Matt Wilson, Sherman Ferguson, Tyrone Brown,…
Commissions as a composer/arranger have included the BMI New York Jazz Composers Orchestra, the Denver Symphony Orchestra, the Lamont School of Music Chamber Orchestra, the Singing Patriots of Germantown Academy, the Manor Singers, the Off-Broadstreet Theatre, soprano Katja Rothfuss, and St. Andrew’s Church of Trenton.
In addition to his work with the New York Jazz Workshop Jim has maintained a private piano studio for over 3 decades and currently teaches adjunct jazz piano at the City College of New York. He has conducted piano master classes at the University of the Arts (Philadelphia, PA), Metropolitan State College (Denver, CO), and West Chester University (West Chester, PA).
Jim was the Art Tatum Scholarship Artist in Residence at the University of Toledo (Ohio) where he taught master classes and performed solo piano concerts.
Jim was raised on a farm and ranch in North Dakota, and discovered his love for piano and jazz at an early age. He attended college at the University of Colorado at Denver, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Scoring and Arranging, and was awarded its Student Achievement Award for composing “Ocean Sojourn,” an orchestral tone poem which he performed with the Denver Symphony Orchestra, James Setapen, conducting. He is listed in the Who’s Who of American Colleges and Universities. In Denver, Jim began his professional career performing and touring with local and nationally recognised musicians, including the Grammy-nominated vocal jazz group, Rare Silk.
Like an impressionistic painting that requires you to stand back from the brushstrokes to see the true image, his music is simply beautiful. It does not need to be anything more." - Jazz Review.com
A True Living Legend of Music
CHARLES MCPHERSON
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27
9.00 PM PAR | 8.00 PM LON | 3.00 PM NY | 12.00PM LA
TICKET PRICE €10.00 / £10.00 / $13.00
Charles McPherson - alto saxophone Rob Thorsen - bass
THIS IS A RARE ONLINE LIVE PERFORMANCE BY ONE OF THE GREATEST ALTO PLAYERS IN THE HISTORY OF THE MUSIC. AT 81 YEARS OF AGE CHARLES MCPHERSON IS A FORCE OF NATURE. HE PLAYS WITH THE FIRE AND VITALITY OF A 20 YEAR OLD, THE VIRTUOSITY OF A GREAT MASTER, AND THE WISDOM AND SOUL OF A GREAT SAGE ALL COMBINED.
After growing up in Detroit, Charles studied with the renowned pianist Barry Harris and started playing jazz professionally at age 19. He moved from Detroit to New York in 1959 and performed with Charles Mingus from 1960 to 1972. While performing with Mingus, he collaborated frequently with Harris, Lonnie Hillyer (trumpet), and George Coleman (tenor sax).
Charles has toured the U.S., Europe, Japan, Africa and South America with his own group, as well as with jazz greats Barry Harris, Billy Eckstine, Lionel Hampton, Nat Adderly, Jay McShann, Phil Woods, Wynton Marsalis, Tom Harrell, Randy Brecker, James Moody, Dizzy Gillespie, and others.
Charles was the featured alto saxophonist in the Clint Eastwood film “Bird,” a biopic about Charlie Parker. Charles has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Don Redman Lifetime Achievement Award and an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from California State University San Marcos. Charles performed this past April at the NEA Jazz Master’s 2019 performance during Stanley Crouch’s tribute. Widely recognized as a prolific composer, Charles is now Resident Composer for the San Diego Ballet, where he has written three original suites for chamber music and jazz combos.
Charles is joined for this this concert by the renowned bassist, Rob Thorsen, one of California’s most in demand and popular bassists.
UPCOMING ALBUM RELEASE:
Charles McPherson’s Jazz Dance Suites captures his groundbreaking collaboration with the San Diego Ballet, an association that began in 2015. A family affair, Jazz Dance Suites is inspired by McPherson’s daughter Camille McPherson, a soloist in her 8th season with the prestigious dance company. Joining McPherson on Jazz Dance Suites are some of the most exciting names in modern jazz; Terrell Stafford on trumpet, Lorraine Castellanos on vocals, Jeb Patton, and Randy Porter on piano, Billy Drummond on drums, David Wong on bass and Yotam Silberstein on guitar.
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Last minute booking will close 60 minutes before the start of concert to allow time to process payments.
“Charles is the very definition of excellence in our music. He’s the definitive master on his instrument. He plays with exceptional harmonic accuracy and sophistication. He performs free-flowing, melodic and thematically developed solos with unbelievable fire and an unparalleled depth of soul.” - Wynton Marsalis