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Evan Sherman is coming back to the East End for The Center! The young jazz lion was the Jazz for Jennings band leader for 3 years, followed with evening shows at the Talkhouse. Join us on August 12 for a concert under the stars featuring Evan Sherman, Cyrus Chestnut, and Dezron Douglas, to benefit Guild Hall and the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center.
Run time: Approx 60-75 minutes
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Evan Sherman
Born into a musical family in New Jersey, Evan Sherman (b. 1993) began playing the drums at age 5 and had his first professional gigs at 13. Since then, Evan has been spreading musical enthusiasm all over the world, touring with Wynton Marsalis & the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Roy Hargrove, Ron Carter, Jimmy Heath, the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars, Cyrus Chestnut, Branford Marsalis, and more.
In 2014, he formed the Evan Sherman Big Band, a 16-piece group for which he writes and arranges, of up-and-coming young lions alongside a rotating cast of seasoned veterans and guests such as Roy Hargrove, Johnny O’Neal, & Jon Batiste. The big band held a 5-year residency at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola's late night dance parties as well as frequent appearances at the Perth International Arts Festival (Australia), The Rainbow Room (Rockefeller Center), The Blue Note (NYC), Ginny’s Supper Club (Harlem), The Django (TriBeca), Midsummer Night’s Swing (Lincoln Center), Caramoor Jazz Festival, SteelStacks (PA), and Jazz at Lincoln Center.
In 2017, Sherman co-produced and performed on a live trio recording with longtime friend and bandmate, Emmet Cohen, flanked by the legendary bassist, Ron Carter. The album continues to receive critical praise citing Sherman as “a beacon of taste”, “who, though in his mid-20's, plays here like an old master”.
In addition to performing, Evan loves to present clinics/workshops, educating people all over the world about jazz. Since 2017, Sherman has served as artistic director for "Jazz for Jennings", a charitable concert founded by the late ABC world news journalist, Peter Jennings with jazz pioneer, Max Roach.
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Cyrus Chestnut
Born in 1963 in Baltimore, MD, jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut grew up in a home filled with the sounds of gospel music that his church-going parents played, along with jazz records by artists such as Thelonius Monk and Jimmy Smith. To this day, Chestnut’s ties to gospel music remain constant.
After graduating from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Chestnut worked with jazz vocalist Jon Hendricks, trumpeter Terrence Blanchard, and saxophonist Donald before joining jazz legend Wynton Marsalis. Chestnut’s recordings include Dark Before the Dawn (1994), which debuted in the sixth spot on the Billboard jazz charts; Earth Stories (1995), for which he composed nine of the CD’s eleven tracks; a solo piano album, Blessed Quietness: Collection of Hymns, Spirituals, and Carols (1996); Cyrus Chestnut (1998); Soul Food (2001), a blend of jazz, classical, gospel, and R&B; and You Are My Sunshine (2003).
The New York Daily News once heralded Chestnut as the rightful heir to Bud Powell, Art Tatum, and Erroll Garner. Chestnut continually tours with his trio, playing at jazz festivals around the world, as well as clubs and concert halls. His leadership and prowess as a soloist have also led him to be first on the list for the piano chair in many big bands including the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band. Cyrus is also an alum of Jazz for Jennings for The Center.
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Dezron Douglas
Known for his musical versatility, bassist Dezron Douglas is one of the most in demand young bassists in jazz today. As a composer, educator, and bandleader, Dezron has established himself as a musician’s musician, respected not only for his talent but also for his dedication to the authenticity of the music.
Born and raised in Hartford, Douglas studied at the Jackie McLean Institute of African American Music at the Hartt School of Music (University of Hartford). While in college, he co-founded The New Jazz Workshop of Hartford. In the following years, he has performed and recorded with Michael Carvin, Pharoah Sanders, Cyrus Chestnut, Abraham Burton/Eric McPherson, Louis Hayes, Rene McLean, Al Foster, Ravi Coltrane, Billy Drummond, Steve Davis, Winard Harper, Lewis Nash, Kevin Mahogany, Carla Cook, Kenny Garrett, Willie Jones III, Jeremy Pelt, Eric Reed, Papo Vazquez, and The Marsalis Brothers. Douglas is a long-standing member of the Cyrus Chestnut Trio and Papo Vazquez and the Mighty Pirates.
He has recorded four albums as a leader: Walkin’ My Baby Back Home and Ganbare Nippon on Venus Records (Japan); “Underground” by the New Jazz Workshop; and Dezron Douglas, Live at Smalls on the Smalls Live label. His most recent EP, “Black Lion,” was released in 2018. In 2019, Douglas was the winner of the Downbeat critics poll in the category of "Rising Star bassist". Douglas was featured on DownBeat magazine's July 2020 cover along with Brandee Younger and six other artists.