Catch New York’s Lenore Raphael live
NEW York City’s Lenore Raphael is regarded by many to be one of the very best jazz swing pianists in the world today.
Born and raised in New York City, Raphael began playing the piano at age three. She performed at Carnegie Hall in a piano recital at age 7 playing a classical piece by Mozart.
Her interest turned to jazz at age 12 and she has devoted her life to her love of jazz, performing and teaching jazz master classes internationally.
As a renowned international jazz pianist/ Steinway Artist, composer and jazz teacher, Raphael has performed at top jazz venues such as The Blue Note (NYC), Dizzy’s at Jazz At Lincoln Center, Ronnie Scott’s In London, Birdland, The Ottawa Interational Jazz Festival, Joy of Jazz Festival (Johannesburg, where she was one of three Steinway artists including Ahmad Jamal, Jazz in the Snagres (Colorado) and many more.
Critics, jazz hosts and many jazz lovers agree that she is one of the most swinging mainstream pianists today.
Influenced by Oscar Peterson, Bud Powell and Bill Evans, she has taken these influences and created her own recognizable sound.
Jazz critic from AllAboutJazz.com, John Gilbert, has called her “simply one of the best pianists in the jazz mainstream today”.
She had the honour of performing at the tribute to Oscar Peterson in Toronto, Canada where she performed her well known composition Blues For O.P.
She has won ASCAP awards for her original compositions, which appear on her own CDs and other artists’. They have been played on Continental Airlines in-flight jazz stream, and on jazz stations worldwide, including their inclusion into the Jazz At Lincoln Center jazz stream.
Raphael has recorded 10 critically acclaimed CDS on the Swingin’ Fox Music label. Some of her recordings have reached Top 10 airplay and her 2006 recording “Invitation” and 2012 recording Loverly were up for Grammy nominations.
She now has her own radio show called Lenore Raphael’s JazzSpot on purejazzradio and on jazzlondonradio. com on the internet where she interviews and performs with famed jazz artists and up and coming ones as well. Along the way she has performed and recorded with such greats as Clark Terry, Warren Vache, Howard Alden, Harry Allen, Bucky Pizzarelli, Jack Wilkins and more.
In addition, she is a talented jazz teacher and has done highly acclaimed Jazz Master Classes and colleges and universities world-wide. She was also director at the summer jazz workshop at Montclair University in New Jersey and ran the summer jazz camp at East Tennessee State University.
She is now the artistic director for an ongoing jazz concert series in North Carolina.
See her live on Thursday, October 27 from 8pm to 10.30pm at The Crypt in Wale Street (079 683 4658, www.thecrypt jazz.com
She’ll appear with Maurice Gawronsky, drums, Charles Lazar, bassist and Monique Hellenberg on vocals.
On Friday, October 28 from 9.30 to 11pm she’ll be at the Kaleidoscope Cafe (021 674 5761) with Maurice Gawronsky on drums and Charles Lazar bass.
The Rockwell Theatre hosts her on Saturday, October 29 from 8pm to 10.30pm. This is in Prestwich Street . She’ll appear with Maurice Gawronsky, Charles Lazar and and Monique Hellenberg.
On Sunday, October 30 from 11am to 2pm at Winchester Mansions at Beach Road, Sea Point with the same trio and on Sunday, October 30 at 6pm at Casa Labia in Main Road, Muizenberg, with personnel still to be announced. - Staff Writer
www.lenoreraphael.com