October is turning out to be an exciting month, with a number of very cool performances both in New York City and throughout the Northeast.  Hope to see you at one of my upcoming shows:

Return to Kitano

On Tuesday, October 3rd (tomorrow!) and Tuesday, October 17th at 8pm, I will be returning to the Kitano in Midtown Manhattan (38th and Park Ave) to perform for their emerging artist solo piano series.  I did a series of solo piano performances at Kitano in April, and it was a ton of fun, so I'm very happy to be doing it again.  This month, the themes are Movie Soundtracks (Oct 3) and Free Improvisation (Oct 17).  Both are great passions for me, so I'm excited to share this music with all of you.

In addition, on Wednesday, November 1st (sets at 8pm and 10pm), I will be appearing at the Kitano with my trio featuring long-time collaborators and close friends Ben Rubens on bass and Ben Zweig on drums.  I've been playing with these two musicians as a trio for at least six years now, and it's always very special for me to be able to perform with them.  I hope to see you there!

Astrid Kuljanic's CD Release Concert: Carnegie Hall

On Tuesday, October 24th at 8pm, I will be at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall celebrating the album release of Astrid Kuljanic's Riva.  It's been such a pleasure playing accordion in Astrid's new group, Transatlantic Exploration Company, alongside bassist Mat Muntz and percussionist Rogerio Boccato, and I cannot say enough about how creative and talented Astrid is.

This CD Release event will feature the original ensemble as well as a number of special guests, including various Balkan Folklore ensembles, Klazz-Ma-Tazz members Ben Sutin and Elijah Shiffer, Astrid's choral project (the Asaran Earth Trio) and more.  This should be a really incredible evening.  To learn more, visit Carnegie Hall's website here.

Other news

As mentioned in the previous email blast, I have a very exciting performance coming up this week on Friday, October 6th (sets at 8:00pm and 9:30pm) at An Die Musik in Baltimore, MD alongside the legendary Curtis Lundy and Eric Kennedy.  Tickets are available at this link, so if you live in the area or have any friends around there, please spread the word!  I also have my weekly Thursday residency with Curtis at Orama in Edgewater, NJ, as well as our Saturday residency at the South Fin Grill in Staten Island.  And I will be making a couple appearances on accordion in Northampton, MA alongside guitarist Michael Sheridan, including a feature concert on Friday, October 13th at the Northampton Community Music Center.

Finally, I will be doing an incredibly unique and wonderful project with acclaimed trombonist Chris Washburne at the end of the month.  Chris has been commissioned to write a brand new score to the classic silent film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.  The score consists of music composed in 1920-1921, the years in which the film first premiered, and we will be performing it live at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn on Halloween night!  Full event info can be found here.

Thanks for reading all the way through this long email!  Hope to see you at an upcoming show, and all the best!
-Ben

Hi everyone,

I'm very excited to announce a number of new dates that will take me throughout the Northeast, from Massachusetts to Baltimore.  Up first, on Friday, September 15th at 7pm, I have a concert appearance with my trio featuring the legendary Eliot Zigmund on drums (famous for his work with Bill Evans and Stan Getz), as well as the wonderful Dan Chmielinski on bass.  Eliot is a great friend and an amazing musician, and it is so special to be able to play my music with him.  This performance will take place at the Puffin Cultural Forum in Teaneck, NJ (about 15 minutes from New York City across the George Washington Bridge).

On Sunday, September 24th (sets at 8pm and 9:30pm), I will again be joining my good friend and fantastic singer Deborah Davis at Mezzrow in the West Village in New York City.  Last time Debo and I played at Mezzrow we sold out the first set, and this time we're trying to sell out both!  It's a great pleasure to be invited back to this intimate and beautiful club.  This time we will also be joined by the great bassist Jennifer Vincent.  Visit this page to make reservations for either set.

On Saturday, September 30th at 8pm, I'll be in Framingham, MA (near Boston) doing a solo piano appearance at the Amazing Things Art Center!  This is a wonderful venue and a very special event for me, as I haven't performed in the Boston area for quite some time.  I hope to see some friendly faces!  Then, on Friday, October 6th (sets at 8pm and 9:30pm), I'll be on the other side of the Northeast in Baltimore, MD, at the beautiful music performance space An Die Musik.  It's a real privilege to be there and to be joined by my mentor and the bassist from my album Curtis Lundy as well as the great Baltimore drummer Eric Kennedy as we celebrate my debut album Instead.

Above and below are videos from our recent show at the Back Room in Berkeley, CA on August 6th.  A huge thanks to Sam Rudin for having us there, and to our wonderful audience.  This is the first show that I live streamed on my Facebook page as well, and I am so happy that so many people were able to tune in and enjoy it.  At the bottom of the post are a couple pictures from our down time hiking in Point Lobos and Big Sur (two of the most beautiful places I have ever been), as well as a couple photos from our performances.  It was an absolute pleasure being on the West Coast this past week, and we hope to be back soon!

Top: Point Lobos in the Carmel Highlands.  Bottom: Big Sur.

Hi everyone!

I am very happy to be leading my trio on a West Coast tour in a couple weeks.  We will be in the Bay Area from August 1st to August 8th making a number of stops, including six performances and a couple of radio interviews (click on my schedule page for a full itinerary).  Below are three of the highlights:

Hi everyone!

I hope all is well, and thanks always for the continuing support.  This summer has already been an incredibly exciting time for me.  I had the opportunity to travel to Italy for the first time to perform in a small town called Gubbio in Perugia, and I've had a number of really special appearances in the Northeast, including my CD release concert at Mezzrow in late May.  The next few months are promising to be equally special, so I wanted to share with you what I'll be doing and where I'll be appearing in the upcoming weeks.

In July, I'll be performing mostly in New York City and the surrounding area.  I'm especially excited to have been invited back to the Kitano on Thursday, July 20th for two sets with my trio (8pm and 10pm).  I had a blast when I was at the Kitano in April for their Tuesday solo piano series, and I'm so happy that I'm able to return there with a full group.  It's one of my favorite places to play.  More information can be found at their website: http://www.kitano.com/Jazz-Schedule.

I'll also be doing a solo piano concert in Ewing, NJ on July 7th at the 1867 Sanctuary.  This is an absolutely gorgeous venue, and I can't wait to perform there.  Visit the 1867 Sanctuary website at http://www.1867sanctuary.org/150festivalCJ0707.html for more info about the appearance.  Other notable appearances in July include an accordion festival in Bryant Park on July 5th from 6pm-8pm (free admission!), a concert in Stamford, NY for the Friends of Music Concert Series on Sunday, July 16th with Marty Jaffe, and an appearance at Smalls with the Tim Hegarty Group on July 26th, as well as my on-going appearances with the incredible Curtis Lundy and Winard Harper (Thursdays 7:30-10:30 at Orama in Edgewater, NJ, and Sundays 2:30-5:30 at Suzy Que's in West Orange)

Finally, I'm incredibly happy to announce that I will be doing my first West Coast tour alongside the wonderful Kanoa Mendenhall on bass and Ben Zweig on drums.  We will be appearing at a number of amazing venues, including the famous Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, CA on Thursday, August 3rd at 7:00pm.  Other highlights of the trip will be Cafe Pink House in Saratoga, CA on Friday, August 4th at 7:30pm and the Back Room in Berkeley, CA on Sunday, August 6th at 8:00pm.  We will be making other stops as well, so stay tuned for all the latest news on my website and on my Instagram (@benrosenblummusic), and spread the word to all your friends on the West Coast!

I'm so excited to share the music from my album with everyone at my CD release event at Mezzrow, this Sunday, May 21st.  The set at 8:00pm is sold out for the listening room, but there are still seats available at the bar for walk-ins.  The set at 9:30pm has plenty of space in the listening room, so if you want to guarantee a spot in the listening room, definitely follow this link and reserve tickets for the 9:30pm show.

I'm incredibly lucky to be sharing this night with the rhythm section from my album: jazz luminaries Curtis Lundy on bass and Billy Hart on drums.  These two musicians are among my heroes, and I am so fortunate that they have given their talents to my music.  This will be a very special night, and I am looking forward to seeing everyone there!

Hi everyone!

I'm incredibly excited to announce that my debut album, Instead, is out now and available for purchase at CD Baby (physical copy), Amazon (digital copy) and many more sites!  Featuring Curtis Lundy on bass and Billy Hart on drums, Instead is a culmination of many years of musical growth and development, and features original compositions from as far back as eight years that have been evolving and changing as I have played them.  The music is deeply rooted in the hard bop tradition, but features a modern melodic sensibility and a wide variety of different styles ranging from bossa to up-tempo swing.  It has been a privilege working with Curtis and Billy, and I hope that you enjoy listening to the album as much as I enjoyed making it.

Check back in soon for the latest details about live CD release events coming up in New York City and in the surrounding area, as well as any new reviews or publicity about the album.  And a huge thanks again to everyone who made this album possible!