World-class Jazz Pianist Lenore Raphael to Perform at Town Hall Theater, 3/12

 

World-class jazz pianist Lenore Raphael (lenoreraphael.com) performs at Town Hall Theater on Saturday, March 12 at 8:00 pm. Tickets, $15, are available through the Town Hall Theater Box Office by calling 802-382-9222, online at www.townhalltheater.org, or in person Monday - Saturday, noon - 5:00 pm.

 

A Steinway Artist, these days Lenore is performing in major international jazz festivals and jazz clubs such as the Ottawa International Jazz Festival, The S.S. Oosterdam Floating Jazz Festival, The International Association for Jazz Convention (Toronto), Ronnis Scott's in London, Jazz At Lincoln Center and many more. She is also busy with jazz workshops and Master Classes around the world. In addition, she now has her own radio show called "Lenore Raphael's JazzSpot" that features guest artists chatting and performing with her in an hour-long show on www.purejazzradio.org

Jazz writer John Gilbert has called Lenore "Simply one of the best pianists in our art form...she always swings." Critics have used words like "swinging", "emotional" and "artistically subtle" when describing Lenore's playing.

Swinging has always been of major importance to Lenore since she listened to her idols Bud Powell and Oscar Peterson. So is "telling the story". She strives to be in touch with the intent of the tune when she plays.

Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, Lenore started at the age of 3 by playing everything she heard by ear. Lenore studied classical piano with concert artist Beulah Eisenstadt. By the age of seven she was featured in recitals and performed at Carnegie Hall. Even then, she heard different things in the classical music she was playing and started embellishing and improvising on Mozart, Chopin, etc.

Upon graduation with a BA in Music Ed, with plans to be a teacher in the New York City school system, once she heard Oscar Peterson her life direction changed. Playing along with Oscar's recordings sometimes five or six hours a day, after two years she felt she was ready to approach the professional world of jazz performance.

A move to New Jersey to raise two sons, she formed a local trio, which gave rise to her first job at Richard's Lounge, a little club in Lakewood, New Jersey. That first night she received a note from a fellow in the audience who happened to be famed pianist Joe Bushkin, who complimented her on her style. She continued to perform in all kinds of venues in the New Jersey area and finally got her first New York City break at a little club on 62nd Street called Gregory's.

Lenore continued to perform in small clubs in New York and New Jersey and along the way met and studied with the great pianist and teacher Barry Harris. She joined his workshop and he encouraged her to continue playing and at a jazz party insisted that she play with Lionel Hampton.

In 1991 she was asked to be accompanist to a vocalist on the S.S. Norway Jazz Cruise and wound up playing with Clark Terry, Al Grey, Illinois Jacquet and others.

In 1991, she recorded her first CD "The Whole Truth" with guest artists guitar great Vic Juris, sax master Mark Vinci, bassist Mike Richmond and drummer John Paul Biagi. Featuring several originals, some of her tunes have been recorded by other artists. She has won ASCAP awards for her original tunes.

Since then she has performed in concerts at the Panasonic Village Jazz Festival, the Gainesville Friends of Jazz gala, the Colorado Springs Conservatory, Jazz in The Sangres festival, East Coast Jazz festival, the International Association for Jazz Education showcase, Pops for Champagne in Chicago, the Jazz & Blues Company in Carmel, California, and many more.

As a result of her second CD "Reflections", Lenore was invited to be a guest on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz radio show.

Her third CD "Wingin' It" was recorded in Florida at the WUCF studios. With Mike Bocchicchio on bass and Roger King Jr. on drums, it is still getting heavy airplay on jazz stations around the world.

This year she released "A Beautiful Friendship" which has gotten critical acclaim for her different takes on standards. With Hilliard Greene on bass and Rudy Lawless on drums, she tries to keep this New York trio together as much as possible.