Aaron Blumenfeld & The Connell-Purves Group at Yoshi's Oakland

Aaron Blumenfeld is a composer, author, teacher and concert pianist who has worked intensively in three widely disparate fields of music: classical, jazz and Jewish music. He received his M.A. in music composition from Rutgers University, New Brunswick for his research into early jazz piano music, which eventually resulted in two published books on the art of blues and barrelhouse piano improvisation. He received a grant from the New Jersey Council on the Arts to compose his BARRELHOUSE PIANO CONCERTO, which was performed in the S.F. Bay Area in 1980. Many of his extensive list of compositions include movements of jazz music.He has been a frequent recipient of ASCAPLUS ( ASCAP) AWARDS....

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Aaron Blumenfeld is a composer, author, teacher and concert pianist who has worked intensively in three widely disparate fields of music: classical, jazz and Jewish music. He received his M.A. in music composition from Rutgers University, New Brunswick for his research into early jazz piano music, which eventually resulted in two published books on the art of blues and barrelhouse piano improvisation. He received a grant from the New Jersey Council on the Arts to compose his BARRELHOUSE PIANO CONCERTO, which was performed in the S.F. Bay Area in 1980. Many of his extensive list of compositions include movements of jazz music.He has been a frequent recipient of ASCAPLUS ( ASCAP) AWARDS.

The Connell-Purves Group is an eclectic, modern jazz ensemble. The group is led by drummer/composer Tom Connell and saxophonist/clarinetist/composer John Purves. The remaining members are long-time Bay Area players with long and varied resumes, with credits that read like a “who’s who” of Bay Area jazz. The group plays a diverse, original style of jazz that incorporates bebop, modern/free jazz, and modern classical music with Mediterranean, Middle-Eastern, Afro-Cuban, and Brazilian sounds. The group performs compositions primarily by its two leaders. The most direct influences on the group’s sound are probably John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, and Ornette Coleman.

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