WTJU Presents The Hod O’Brien Trio
By Gary Funston
On Friday October 16th, The Charlottesville Jazz Society and WTJU invite you to share a special evening with beloved pianist Hod O’Brien and his DC Trio. A Charlottesville area resident for over 30 years, this will be a very rare formal concert for the internationally revered master of bebop piano. Hod will perform at 8 pm at UVA’s Brooks Hall, playing the building’s exquisite Steinway baby grand. Accompanying him will be Chuck Redd on drums and Tommy Cecil on bass, both veterans of the Washington DC and Baltimore jazz scene.
Hod O’Brien is one of those quiet-and-true jazz giants. He burst upon the scene in the late 50s when he came to New York City from his hometown in the Berkshire Mountains of Northwest Connecticut near Lenox, Mass. and Tanglewood. He soon became part of the “loft scene” jamming with other bop-influenced players like Pepper Adams, Kenny Burrell, Oscar Pettiford and Stan Getz, to name a few. While still 21, O’Brien was asked by Red Rodney to take Bill Evans’ place in the Oscar Pettiford Quintet. In the mid-70s Hod opened his own club, The St. James Infirmary, where he led a house band backing up such guest artists as Chet Baker, Lee Konitz, Zoot Sims, and others. Hod has recorded over 15 cd’s as a leader, including the acclaimed “Live At Blues Alley” series. He and his wife Stephanie Nakasian have been fixtures in Charlottesville’s cultural scene for many years.
Tickets to see The Hod O’Brien Trio at UVA’s Brooks Hall at 8 pm October 16th are available in advance at Eventbrite.com. General admission is $20; $17 for paid supporters of The Charlottesville Jazz Society, and $15 for students. If there are any seats available on the day of performance, the cost will be $25. For more information visit Cvillejazz.org, or call Gary at (434) 249-6191. And be sure to listen for Hod’s music on WTJU’s jazz programming.
