Noah Baerman Jazz Trio June 26, 2011

He has been working with bassist Henry Lugo and drummer Vinnie Sperrazza since 2004 and the three will bring their special rapport and energy to a program of standards, originals and Stevie Wonder tunes.

Pianist Noah Baerman was born and raised in the New Haven area, attending the Educational Center for the Arts. He earned Bachelors and Masters degrees in Jazz Studies from Rutgers University, studying under Kenny Barron. His 2003 release “Patch Kit” raised funds and awareness for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder with which he was born. Featuring bassist Ron Carter and drummer Ben Riley, the album gained substantial press and radio airplay nationally and led to an appearance for Noah on Marian McPartland’s NPR program “Piano Jazz.” In 2004 he released the live trio album “What It Is,” documenting a concert on his 30th birthday. Noah’s fourth album, “Soul Force,” was released in 2005 and is a tribute to the life and message of Martin Luther King. “Soul Force” features his trio alongside such musicians as trombonist Robin Eubanks, percussionist Warren Smith and saxophonists Steve Wilson, Jimmy Greene, Wayne Escoffery and Claire Daly. He followed that album with the 2008 trio release “Bliss.” Active as an educator, Noah directs the Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble and has been a Visiting Lecturer in Liberal Studies since 2002. He has written nine books and an instructional DVD for the Alfred Publishing Company, including three-volume “Complete Jazz Keyboard Method” and the “Big Book of Jazz Piano Improvisation.” He is a prolific composer as well and has earned First Prize for jazz in the Billboard Song Contest and the Unisong Contest, as well as ASCAPlus Awards each year since 2004. In 2008 he was awarded the “New Works” grant from Chamber Music America/Doris Duke Foundation to create the extended work Know Thyself which was premiered in 2009 at Wesleyan’s CFA and at the Jazz Gallery in New York, followed by a 2010 album release.

After several initial personnel changes, the line-up of the Noah Baerman Trio stabilized in 2004 with Henry Lugo and Vinnie Sperrazza, and the three have been working together ever since. Bassist Lugo holds a B.M. in Jazz Studies from Western Connecticut State University and a M.M. in Jazz Studies from The University of Texas at Austin. After graduate school, Henry landed a job as bassist in the band of guitarist Melvin Sparks, and he has since gone on to perform with many jazz artists including Yoron Israel, Steve Davis, Ralph Lalama, Winard Harper, Ted Rosenthal and Joe Beck, as well as appearing on Baerman’s “What It Is,” “Soul Force,” “Bliss” and “Know Thyself” albums. The latter three of those albums also feature drummer Sperrazza, a Jazz Studies alumnus of William Paterson University. While at WPU, he began a long-term musical relationship with the legendary pianist James Williams, which continued until Mr. Williams’ passing in July 2004 and which afforded him the opportunity to perform with other noteworthy jazz artists such as Clark Terry, Mulgrew Miller, Richard Davis and Javon Jackson. Since moving to Brooklyn in 2002, he has been an in-demand sideman and has made a name for himself as a bandleader. The Vinnie Sperrazza-Matt Blostein Band has performed extensively in support of their albums “Ursa Minor” and “Paraphrase,” and in April 2009, Fresh Sound Records released the first album by the Vinnie Sperrazza Trio, “Peak Inn,” followed by the 2010 release “Barcelona Holiday.” Sperrazza, Lugo and Baerman also work together in the collective quintet Playdate along with two of Noah’s ECA classmates, guitarist Amanda Monaco and saxophonist Wayne Escoffery. The group’s eponymous debut album was released in September, 2009 on the Posi-Tone label.