Innovative pianist and teacher Art Lande will perform and teach on campus April 22.
Elon University will host respected jazz pianist Art Lande on April 22 for a teaching residency and special performance with his trio, featuring drummer Alan Hall and trombonist Alex Heitlinger, director of jazz studies. The concert will showcase Lande’s distinctive style, including adventurous original compositions and reimagined versions of Tin Pan Alley jazz standards. In addition, Lande will conduct hands-on musical workshops with students in the jazz studies program and Music Department throughout the day.
Lande, a Grammy-nominated musician, is regarded as one of today’s premier improvisational jazz pianists. A musical prodigy, he began playing piano at the age of four. He went on to study at Williams College, and in 1969, moved to San Francisco where he quickly established himself as an innovative voice in the jazz scene. Known for pushing the boundaries of jazz, Lande is known for his own unique and personal approach to improvisation and composition.
Lande’s career is marked by groundbreaking collaborations and achievements. In 1973, he recorded with jazz legends Jan Garbarek and Ted Curson, and by the mid-1970s, he had founded his own jazz school, sharing his wealth of knowledge with aspiring musicians. In 1976, he formed the influential quartet Rubisa Patrol, which recorded for ECM and was active until 1983, further cementing his reputation as an artist dedicated to expanding the limits of jazz.
After a three-year teaching stint in Switzerland, Lande relocated to Boulder, Colorado in 1987, where he continues to pursue his mission of eliminating barriers between listening and creating music. This unique philosophy is central to Lande’s performances, where the act of creation and the experience of listening are intertwined in an organic, collaborative process.
The event will be held at Elon Community Church (217 N. Williamson Avenue) at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.