DENA DEROSE TRIO AT THE MAINSTAY
SATURDAY APRIL 21 AT 8 PM
It’s no small accomplishment to be thought of as “The most creative and compelling singer-pianist since Shirley Horn”, but that’s exactly how Joel Siegel of the Washington City Paper described Dena DeRose. If you want to catch this show, get tickets early, because the room is going to be packed. She not only awes her audiences and music critics with her facility on the piano and her swinging, soothing vocal style but, as Richard Scheinin (San Jose Mercury) aptly put it, “… she exudes joy … what soul!” She has brought her vitality and innovation to performances to some of the biggest names in jazz.
As a recording artist, DeRose has 10 CDs as a leader, all of which have received superior accolades. Her newest release ‘United’ features DeRose’s longtime rhythm section of Martin Wind and Matt Wilson with guests Ingrid Jensen on trumpet and Peter Bernstein on guitar. This CD has garnered excellent reviews by Downbeat, JazzTimes, The New York Record, and many international jazz publications. All of DeRose’s recordings have received no less than 4 stars from Downbeat and she continues to gain listeners around the globe. Astoundingly, Dena has also found time to hone her skills as a Jazz educator, and in the past was on the adjunct faculty at Manhattan School of Music, NYU, The New School, and was on faculty for 10 years at Prince Claus Conservatoire of Music in Holland. Ms. DeRose is currently tenured as Professor of Jazz Voice at The University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, Austria.
JULIAN BREZON’S DEEP LIGHT ENSEMBLEAT THE MAINSTAY
SUNDAY APRIL 22 AT 4 PM
Saxophonist and composer Julian Brezon brings a fresh ear to the world of modern creative music, drawing upon literary works and visual art to lend his compositions a singular character. Thanks to his mother’s career as a painter and his late father’s massive and diverse record collection, Brezon was exposed to music and art ranging from A Love Supreme and Saxophone Colossus, to the paintings of Pierre Bonnard and Edward Hopper at a young age. This rich world of sound and color has helped Brezon develop a nuanced ear, which lends his compositions a rare synthesis of introspection and listenability.
Brezon has performed his original music at venues across Maryland and his forthcoming debut album, The Deep Light, represents the honing of several years’ worth of compositions for jazz sextet. A wide interest in varied styles of music has led Brezon to explorations in freely improvised music, blues, punk, and rock music with various groups in the Baltimore area.
Brezon will complete a Graduate Performance Diploma at the Peabody Conservatory in May, where he studied with renowned saxophonist Gary Thomas and trumpeter Alex Norris.
The Mainstay (Home of Musical Magic) is the friendly informal storefront performing arts center on Rock Hall’s old time Main Street. It is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit dedicated to the arts, serving Rock Hall, MD and the surrounding region and is committed to presenting local, regional and national level talent, at a reasonable price, in an almost perfect acoustic setting. Information and advance ticket sales are available on the Mainstay’s website www.mainstayrockhall.org.
Upcoming Mainstay performances include:
April 23 – Joe Holt welcomes Karen Somerville
April 28 – Ben Price and Cliff City
April 30 – Joe Holt welcomes Cody Leavel
May 4 – John Thomas Quartet
May 6 – Teodora Adzharova
May 7 – Joe Holt welcomes Sam Guthridge
May 10 – Yacine Boulares and Ajoyo
May 18 – Ken and Brad Kolodner Quartet