.... lots of fresh post-bop compositions and twists on familiar pop-rock melodies . . . Digstation
...Its poetry in slow motion, words translated into sound... All About Jazz.com
...there is something here, a beauty, that is captivating. Joe Locke
Alan Blackman, piano
Max Murray, bass
Frank Russo, drums
Paul Pieper, guitar
$15 advance /$18 door /$10 full time student with ID
After meeting on an Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet gig, rhythm section mates Alan Blackman, Max Murray and Frank Russo immediately knew that they possessed a rare chemistry. It wasn’t long before they teamed up with sax titan Donny McCaslin and recorded their first CD, Turning Point. With an atypical freedom this trio can move between the interpretations of Brahms, The Beatles and Peter Gabriel then into unique original compositions, penned mostly by pianist Blackman. Not limited to the traditional Broadway standards repertoire, Blackman Murray Russo endeavors to open up the popular songs of every era in Western Music to the explorations and freedom of the improvising model of jazz....
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.... lots of fresh post-bop compositions and twists on familiar pop-rock melodies . . . Digstation
...Its poetry in slow motion, words translated into sound... All About Jazz.com
...there is something here, a beauty, that is captivating. Joe Locke
Alan Blackman, piano
Max Murray, bass
Frank Russo, drums
Paul Pieper, guitar
$15 advance /$18 door /$10 full time student with ID
After meeting on an Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet gig, rhythm section mates Alan Blackman, Max Murray and Frank Russo immediately knew that they possessed a rare chemistry. It wasn’t long before they teamed up with sax titan Donny McCaslin and recorded their first CD, Turning Point. With an atypical freedom this trio can move between the interpretations of Brahms, The Beatles and Peter Gabriel then into unique original compositions, penned mostly by pianist Blackman. Not limited to the traditional Broadway standards repertoire, Blackman Murray Russo endeavors to open up the popular songs of every era in Western Music to the explorations and freedom of the improvising model of jazz.
Chamber Music America recognized their music with a New Jazz Works Grant in 2011. They produced a multimedia work entitled The Coastal Suite, a programmatic long-form composition with improvised interludes that tells a musical story of a 24 hour tidal cycle. It is presented with projected images of renowned Shetland Island artist Ruth Brownlee. A live performance in Brooklyn was recently captured and aired on NPR’s JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater. A studio recording, enhanced with promotional video, is out now on CdBaby and iTunes. New for 2018 is the release of Chapter Three which features guitarist Gilad Hekselman as guest artist and 9 original compositions by Blackman.
Versatile guitarist Paul Pieper brings technical and improvisational prowess to every song he plays. As a jazz musician he's toured the world, performing across upwards of twenty countries from Japan to Turkey and Iceland to Ecuador. Grounded in the melodic traditions of post-Coltrane jazz and the pioneering influence of John Scofield, Paul's distinctive voice shines through his performances and compositions.
A sought after session player, composer, and arranger in the Washington D.C.-Baltimore area, he has appeared on dozens of CDs while his compositions Something Blue, Spider Monkey, Pensées, Kineticism, and The Red and the Black have been recorded by numerous artists. Paul's solo acoustic record, Stories of Before, beautifully showcases his ability with a unique blend of jazz and pop compositions all filtered through the rich timbre of steel and nylon string guitars, while his "fluidly stinging" solos on D.C. luminary Buck Hill's Relax firmly cement his place in the leading ranks of 21st century jazz guitar. Paul first caught the attention of the music community in 1995 when he captured second place from over 200 competitors at the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Guitar Competition, a global event whose judges included Jim Hall, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, and Pat Martino.
Though he is best known for his work as a jazz musician, Paul seeks to explore all genres of music. "Regardless of style or genre, there are a few things that I really love about music: harmony, a great groove, and improvisation. If one or all of those things are present, then I'm happy."
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