Ben Rosenblum Piano Jazz Trio Coming to CACNew York City jazz is coming to the Red Rose City.
The Cultural Arts Center will feature The Ben Rosenblum Piano Jazz Trio Friday, February 19 at 6:30 p.m.
The Jazz Trio included Lancaster in their seven-stop southeastern tour through Florida and the Carolinas. This is Ben Rosenblum’s third performance at the CAC.
Concert organizer John Craig said the Rosenblum Trio is one of the most requested bands by CAC audiences.
“We are really ‘jazzing up’ the repertoire at the CAC with performers like Ben and will keep adding other types of music in addition to the classical music that until recently was the mainstay at the Center,” Craig said.
Jazz pianist and composer Rosenblum, 26, is a very talented young man with an old playful soul. Born and raised in the Big Apple, he began playing piano when he was five years old and was recognized in the jazz world by the time he was 16. He has taught himself to play the accordion. P
He graduated from Columbia-Julliard in 2016 where he earned a degree in philosophy and music. He has since released three albums — Instead, River City and Kites and Strings. From 2016 until the pandemic hit in early 2020, he toured throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan.
He looks part-poet, part-philosopher with wire-rimmed glasses and shoulder-length curly hair topped off by a short-brimmed black fedora.
Rosenblum is eager and grateful to play for a live audience again.
“I’m of the strong belief that the audience influences the music in powerful ways. We usually choose our setlist moments before going on stage, and it can change even within the concert if the music takes us in a different direction,” he said. “The magic of jazz is that every performance of a song is a unique moment that will never be created again. That’s why it’s so special to witness this happening in person.”
Rosenblum appreciates the unique qualities of the accordion, and its addition to the piano gives him a full range of expression. He described the accordion as “more like a voice” allowing him to do crescendos within notes and enriching tones with a vibrato effect.
The Trio will play a diverse range of material including familiar jazz standards, global music and popular tunes. Rosenblum’s Trio will include Eduardo Belo, a very well-respected jazz bassist from Brazil and Rosenblum’s long-time drummer collaborator and friend, Ben Zweig.
Rosenblum reflected on the pandemic, the divisiveness of 2020 and how for a while live music was silent. He feels it is needed now more than ever and can break through barriers and allow people to bond and heal.
“Music is a significant factor in staying positive through the adversity of what has been happening,” he said. “Music provides both a platform for complete joy or celebration, as well as a cathartic medium for expressing one’s pain and grief.”
He is looking forward to when touring will be the norm again, but until then he said “We’re doing our small part to keep the spark of music alive, and we’re immensely grateful to be able to share the magic of music in person again.”
Locals who attended his past concerts offered high praise.
Musician Adam Quay said “He is an incredibly talented musician and a very kind soul. I met and spoke with him afterwards and we’re still in touch.”
Quay said he can’t wait to see him in the CAC “for the acoustics of the room, which is gorgeous in all the ways for enjoying live music!”
The Cultural Arts Center is housed in the Olde Presbyterian Church on West Gay Street which was built in 1862. It was the first brick Church building in Lancaster County. The French Gothic Revival style architecture features an arch in the pulpit, a three-sided balcony, and breathtaking stained glass windows, some reaching nearly 20 feet high.
The expanded CAC makes social distancing possible and comfortable. COVID restrictions will cut the 120 capacity in half. Only 60 seats are available. Craig encourages those interested to purchase their tickets early, $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Masks are required.
The 2020–21 concert series has more than a dozen performances scheduled through September 2021.
The concerts are co-sponsored by the Lancaster County Society for Historical Preservation, the Lancaster County Council of the Arts and the Craig Farm Historic Preservation Foundation.
Tickets can be purchased by phone (803)285–7451 or online https://www.cognitoforms.com/LancasterCountyCouncilOfTheArts1/LancasterCulturalArtsCenterTicketing.
For more information on Ben Rosenblum, visit his Facebook page or his website https://www.benrosenblummusic.com.
Craig said attendance at the live music concerts continues to be good and the praise has been high.
“One person drove all the way from Charlotte for the Sunday January 31 Duo Amabile piano and violin concert,” he said. “She emailed afterwards: ‘The setting, The performance: GLORIOUS. Thank you for putting us in touch with the Divine.’”
Craig said feedback like that is music to his ears.
“It’s gratifying to know that the tremendous amount of work that goes into each concert has a big payoff with the audience,” he said.
The CAC encourages and welcomes corporate, business and other support to fully realize its potential now that it is a fully equipped performance facility. The CAC’s mission is to keep ticket prices affordable making it accessible to the community.
“Donations can be mailed to LCSHP, 1859 Craig Farm Rd., Lancaster, SC 29720, or made online at lcshp.org.
Originally published at http://spilledinkabovethefold.wordpress.com on February 13, 2021.
