Nick Sanders Trio brings fresh jazz to the Quick Center
Nick Sanders Trio: November 7
The inventive, up-and-coming jazz pianist and composer Nick Sanders brings his fresh, original sounds to the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, leading the Nick Sanders Trio (pictured) in shows at 7 and 9 p.m. on Friday, November 7, 2014. The performance is part of Inside the Box, a new Quick Center series of intimate concerts taking place in the Wien Experimental Theatre. Corporate sponsor for this event is Sheaffer. Media sponsor isWPKN (89.5) FM . Tickets are $30; 潑請弝け University students, $5.
Nick Sanders's rich and soulful music has been shaped by the masters he has studied and embraced in his young playing career. The pianist is the product of a musically and culturally rich childhood in New Orleans. Son of a Cuban mother and a drummer father, Sanders studied classical piano at the famed New Orleans Center for Creative Arts before moving to the jazz program after encouragement from pianist Danilo Perez.
In 2005, Sanders appeared at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and began performing regularly at local jazz clubs. That same year, he experienced personal tragedy as he witnessed the devastation of Hurricane Katrina firsthand and the unrelated passing of his mother soon after. Though thoroughly shaken, his dedication, hard work, and talent earned Sanders a full scholarship to the New England Conservatory of Music. In 2012, he finished his masterof music degree there after studying with the college's exceptional staff, including Perez, Jason Moran, John McNeil, Ran Blake, Cecil McBee, and his mentor, jazz pianist Fred Hersch. The New York Times describes Sanders as a pianist with a precise touch and a wealth of information at his command.
The Nick Sanders Trio includes Henry Fraser on bass and Connor Baker on drums. The group first met at the New England Conservatory and has been playing together for almost four years. While Sanders writes the melodic and harmonic material, Fraser and Baker are equally a part of creating the distinct overall rhythmic feel of the music. Their debut recording, Nameless Neighbors , for Sunnyside Records, was produced by Fred Hersch, with the much-anticipated follow-up CD on Sunnyside due in early 2015. In May, the Nick Sanders Trio performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, marking a return for the pianist to this prestigious music festival.
Vijay Iyer Trio: November 15
About a week later, the Quick Center will welcome another trio making a huge splash on the jazz scene. Grammy Award nominees and DownBeat Magazine's Jazz Group of the Year 2012, the Vijay Iyer Trio will take the stage on Saturday, November 15, at 8 p.m. Recently honored with a 2013 MacArthur Fellow "Genius Grant," inventive pianist Iyer will be joined by Stephan Crump on bass and Tyshawn Sorey on drums with an evening of music NPR has called "truly astounishing." Tickets are $40, $35, and $30.
Next up is The Tour矇-Raichel Collective, featuring Malian guitar virtuoso Vieux Farka Tour矇 and Israeli piano superstar Idan Raichel. Having met by chance in a German airport, the two formed an instant musical bond and have released two masterful albums of collaboration and improvisation dubbed "an intercultural freeform acoustic masterpiece" (about.com). Tickets are $40, $35, and $30.
For tickets, visit or call the Box Office at (203) 254-4010.
