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Harry Appelman

Jazz pianist and educator Harry Appelman has performed on concert stages on five continents. He has been chosen three times to participate in U.S. State Department music tours overseas — to South and Central America, Eastern Europe, Turkey and Cyprus, and South Asia. He performed in Egypt in February 2008 with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, and has performed at the Festival Gnaouas et Musiques du Monde in Essaouira, Morocco and the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Mr. Appelman is a member of Afro Bop Alliance, winners of a 2008 Latin Grammy, and has contributed several arrangements to the group's recordings. He has toured the United States and Canada with the Woody Herman Orchestra and the Artie Shaw Orchestra. A recipient of a 2012 Maryland State Arts Council Award for composition, he was a finalist in both the 1987 and 1988 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competitions (finishing second in 1988) and one of three prizewinners in the 1989 Great American Jazz Piano Competition. Appelman has performed in small groups led by Conrad Herwig, Eddie Daniels, Gary Thomas, Drew Gress, George Garzone, Jerry Bergonzi, Jim Snidero, Brian Lynch, Don Braden, and Walt Weiskopf, among others. He has had long-term musical associations with such non-Western musicians as Afghani vocalist/harmonium virtuoso Humayun Khan and tabla player Broto Roy. Mr. Appelman was named in Washingtonian magazine's February 2003 "Great Music" issue as one of the D.C. area's best jazz artists. He currently performs in the area at Blues Alley, the Millenium Stage at the Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap, Twins, and other popular jazz venues.

Appelman leads the latin jazz group Duende Quartet, and has played frequently with Palmetto recording artists Rumba Club. He has performed in concert with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Darren Atwater, and the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra with guest soloist Branford Marsalis. He has also resided and performed in Boston and New York City — where he played with numerous creative and respected groups, ranging from trumpeter Scott Wendholt's quartet to vocalist Dakota Staton's trio.

A native of the Chicago area, Appelman began his classical music training in the first grade, later turning to the fusion and rock idioms and ultimately to jazz. After graduating with a B.A. in Economics from the University of Illinois — where he was honored as a Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude — he went on to earn a Master of Music degree with Distinction from the New England Conservatory.

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Album Review

Seth Kibel: Clown with a Stick

Read "Clown with a Stick" reviewed by Jack Bowers


A stick? Most definitely. A clown? Most definitely not. Seth Kibel is far more virtuoso than court jester, especially on his main axe, the clarinet (sometimes referred to as a liquorice stick), as he proves time and again on this inclusive and thoroughly delightful album. Okay, so the music is for the most part more swing/klezmer/folk than jazz; that hardly matters when Kibel is in charge. While he may not improvise often, he is no slouch when ...

6
Album Review

Ben Patterson: The Way of the Groove

Read "The Way of the Groove" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


Ben Patterson is well versed in the way of the groove. The veteran trombonist, best known for his lengthy stint with the Airmen of Note, uses this date to deliver some hip yet sophisticated work that leans on funky foundations, driving ambitions and glorious grit. Showcasing his impressive slide work alongside a positively electric outfit, Patterson digs deep in offering some slick and seriously smart art. The sum of those elements and efforts equals one brilliant party record that's both ...

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(Balancing CD):

"It's a rare pleasure to hear such an outstanding debut recording — full of first-class ideas, quiet virtuosity and subtle surprises. Bravo!" — Fred Hersch

(Duende Quartet CD):

"...delightfully inventive. " — Mike Joyce, Washington Post

"... a satisfying set with pleasurable discoveries throughout." — David Kane, Cadence Magazine

(Afro-Bop Alliance, Angel Eyes CD):

"strong, rhythmic solos ... hypnotic montuno grooves." — Owen Cordle, Jazz Times

Paul Ward
piano

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Clown with a Stick

Azalea City Recordings
2023

buy

The Way of the Groove

Origin Records
2022

buy

Anniversary Patio

From: The Way of the Groove
By Harry Appelman

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