Polyrhythms presents Laurence Hobgood

Polyrhythms presents Laurence Hobgood
Sunday, December 09, 2018 6:00 PM
Redstone Room
$10 or $15 for reserved/VIP seating
December 9th, POLYRHYTHMS Third Sunday Jazz Workshop & Matinee Series and Quad City Arts co-sponsor the signature swing of the Laurence Hobgood Trio at the Redstone Room, in the RME, on the corner of 2nd & Main, in Davenport.   A Jazz Demystifying master class begins at 3 pm, and is followed by a matinee concert from 6 – 8 pm.
Pianist Laurence Hobgood is joined by bassist, Matt Clohesy and Jared Schonig on drums. This trio exhibits “…power without noise, energy without haste, drama without overstatement.”  CHICAGO TRIBUNE 
Contemporary virtuoso pianist, collaborator, composer, arranger, producer, educator, multiple Grammy® nominee and 2010 Grammy® winner Laurence Hobgood has enjoyed a multi-faceted and dynamic career. Recognized for his dazzling piano technique and his signature style of composing and arranging, he's been transporting audiences both at home and abroad for over thirty years. 
Early on, his family’s move to Urbana when his father accepted a position at University of Illinois, is when Laurence transitioned to studying jazz -- and never looked back. 
It would be an understatement to say that the jazz/music scene at U. of I. during these formative years was amazingly fertile and had a huge impact on Laurence's musical direction and philosophy.
Urbana's proximity to Chicago led him there in 1988 and he was quickly absorbed into the scene, playing in groups with legendary Chicago musicians such as Von Freeman, Paul Wertico, Ed Peterson, Fareed Haque, Wilbur "the Chief" Campbell and Eddie Johnson. He also encountered a young, yet unknown singer named Kurt Elling.) 
The Chicago Tribune honored him as a 1995 Chicagoan Of The Year in the Arts. That same year, Elling's first CD, Close Your Eyes, released by Blue Note (and which Hobgood produced, played on and wrote for) garnered a Grammy® nomination, a pattern which continued with every project Elling released throughout their eighteen-year collaboration. 2009’s Dedicated To You: Kurt Elling Sings The Music Of Coltrane and Hartman, recorded live at Lincoln Center, won the 2010 Grammy® Award for Best Vocal Jazz Record, with Hobgood receiving one of the coveted statues for his work as producer. 
In 2003, Hobgood received ASCAP's Deems Taylor Award, given for outstanding music journalism, for his article 'The Art Of The Trio' published by JazzTimes magazine. 
It’s easy to hear similarities between Laurence Hobgood’s piano and that of Brad Mehldau, who shares primary influences (Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans). But Hobgood, differentiates himself via another cluster of inspirations: Oscar Peterson, Nat “King” Cole and his own father, theater director Burnet Mclean. These and other mentors are the focus of his radiant trio record “Honor Thy Fathers.”
Hobgood’s 2013 release Christmas (Circumstantial) was chosen by both the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune as one of the top Holiday CDs of the year.  In the New York Times, Nate Chinen wrote: For most of this beautifully recorded album, he’s alone at the piano, unspooling solemn reveries after the example of his north star, Keith Jarrett.