Wilton jazz enthusiasts have a wonderful treat when the Tamir Hendelman Trio opens Wilton Library’s first Hot & Cool: Jazz at the Brubeck Room concert of the season on Sunday, September 10, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Fresh off of shows at NYC’s renowned Birdland jazz club and The Side Door in Old Lyme, the trio is wrapping up its East Coast tour with a return to the Brubeck Room stage having appeared here in 2012. On Sunday, Hendelman will be joined by Marco Panascia on bass and Matt Wilson on drums.
Tamir Hendelman was born in Tel Aviv and began studying piano at age six. Almost four decades later, he is renowned for his work as a composer, arranger, educator and performer. He has traveled the world for his passion, leads his own trio, is the pianist for the Jeff Hamilton Trio and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and has produced two acclaimed albums.
After moving to the U.S. in 1984, Hendelman won Yamaha’s national keyboard competition two years later. He studied at the Tanglewood Institute and received a B.M. in Music Composition from Eastman School of Music in 1993. Many awards and accolades later, he was music director for the Lovewell Institute, a national arts education and non-profit organization and has become a first-rate arranger and accompanist for today’s premier vocalists such as the late Natalie Cole, Roberta Gambarini, and Jackie Ryan. He accompanied Barbra Streisand in her return to jazz on Love Is The Answer (2009), at the Village Vanguard as well as on her 2012 North American orchestral tour.
Hendelman has been on the jazz faculty of UCLA and has conducted numerous workshops in universities and music programs in the US and abroad. His two recordings as a leader are Playground (2008) and Destinations (2010). Dr. Judith Schlesinger, All About Jazz, wrote of Hendelman, “What increasingly distinguishes Hendelman is his gift for imaginative arranging. For one thing, he will compose an introduction that makes it difficult to predict what follows, but seems perfectly suited – even organic—once the tune begins.”
Marco Panascia is an Italian-born bassist and educator living in New York City. Panascia has made a name for himself by being featured in the groups of several jazz luminaries, such as Kenny Barron, Natalie Cole, Andy Bey, Tamir Hendelman, Kevin Mahogany, Eric Reed, Alvin Queen, Peter Bernstein and Claudio Roditi, and by regularly appearing in some of the world's top music festivals and venues, such as the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Kennedy Center. With degrees from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and a Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, he is currently an adjunct faculty member at the New School University in New York City.
New York based drummer and Grammy nominee Matt Wilson is one of today’s most celebrated jazz artists. He is universally recognized for his musical and melodic drumming style as well as being a gifted composer, bandleader, producer, and teaching artist. Matt’s positive energy, sense of humor and ability to explore a broad range of musical settings keeps him in constant demand. In addition, Wilson’s dedication to jazz has helped establish him as a beloved world ambassador for the music, on and off the bandstand. Matt was named the artist in residence at the Litchfield Jazz Festival where he conducted a much-heralded public interview with Dave Brubeck.
An informal reception follows the concert where CDs will be available for purchase and signing. The Hot & Cool concerts are made possible by the William and Karen Tell Foundation with special thanks to Ed and Catherine Romer and Chris and Tish Brubeck. Suggested donation for the performance is $10 per person. Advance registration is strongly recommended due to the popularity of the Hot & Cool concert series. Pre-registrants should arrive by 3:50 to be guaranteed seating; wait-listed and walk-in registrants will be seated after this time if space is available.
For information, directions or to register, visit www.wiltonlibrary.org or call 203-762-6334. Wilton Library is located at 137 Old Ridgefield Road in the heart of Wilton Center.