Wednesday, September 18, 2019 - 7:00 p.m.
Beyond the Neighborhood
The Music of Fred Rogers
Featuring Grammy-nominated pianist, Kevin Bales
Fred McFeely Rogers - the cardigan-wearing, sneaker-shod, quintessentially gentle Presbyterian minister known as Mister Rogers on the awards-winning children's TV show that aired for nearly 35 years - also wrote the songs he sang on his program. He wrote a lot of songs, and he wrote them well. As a kid you might not have noticed the craftsmanship of these songs, but as an adult, you can't miss it. These songs left their mark on three generations of children who made Mister Roger's Neighborhood part of their after-school routine.
The songs, which up until now were specifically tailored for a child's ear, are now presented as reinvented gems that are wise and wistful, simple but not simplistic, and even, in some cases, a bit sultry. In this concert, Mister Rogers' songs not only relate to adults; they seem to have been written for adults in the first place.
Kevin Bales Biography
By some measures, Kevin Bales was a latecomer to jazz, already 17 when he encountered the sounds and structures and became captivated by the freedom and corresponding challenges of the music. But if late to the party, he wasted no time in immersing himself in the celebration, declaring total commitment to what would be his life’s work and backing his announcement by resigning his job and designated career in computer programming.
Kevin could commit to jazz with a reasonable degree of expectation. He was already an accomplished pianist, with classical chops refined since the age of 10. So accomplished he was invited to audition for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, then under the direction of its most storied conductor Robert Shaw, at age 16. Kevin’s initial career move was to the University of North Florida and a budding if little-known jazz program.
There he met and performed with, and went on to record and tour with, a number of monumental artists who had settled into that burgeoning North Florida jazz scene. Giants like Wynton Marsalis, Louie Bellson, Eddie Daniels, James Moody, Ben Tucker, Ira Sullivan, Sam Rivers, and Nat Adderley. He counts among his mentors bassist Ben Tucker, multi-instrumentalist Ira Sullivan, guitar legends Nathen Page and Jack Petersen, and the fiercely individual saxophonist Bunky Green. His meeting with Bunky Green led to five years of tours. His encounter with guitarist Nathen Page blossomed into 15 years of spot tours and four albums. And his work with trumpeter extraordinaire Marcus Printup has become a lifetime association that has included recordings on Blue Note/Capital records. Ten years touring and recording with vocal iconoclast Rene Marie culminated in the a Grammy Nominated album.
Few artists have the patience for teaching – as are few teachers accomplished players. But Kevin has amassed a reputation for his prowess in both professions. While still a senior at North Florida he was drafted into a full teaching load, and continued to be an integral part of the school’s jazz program for upwards of a decade. Today, Kevin manages his own jazz program, overseeing an ambitious schedule of ambitious jazz students.
Kevin has amassed a long list of awards and a reputation as one of the finest jazz pianists performing anywhere. In 1994, less than a decade into jazz, he won the American Pianist Association’s Jazz Piano Competition. In addition to nearly every important jazz venue in the South, he has performed in some of the most acclaimed clubs and festivals in America and around the world: the JVC Jazz Festival in New York, The Bakery in Los Angeles, The Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center jazz series, the Toronto and Edinburgh jazz festivals, and the
Moscow Center for the Performing Arts.
Live in the Lobby: Koger Center Jazz
The Koger Center for the Arts is proud to introduce the inaugural season of Live in the Lobby: Koger Center Jazz and welcomes you to take part in this unique series as a season subscriber! Created as a partnership between the Koger Center, Bert Ligon with Uof SC Jazz, and Mark Rapp with ColaJazz, Koger Center Jazz will consist of five concerts held in the dynamic, open expanse of the Koger Center lobby curated to embody a specific style and era of jazz music. Join us to experience this one-of-a-kind concert series designed for audiences seeking premier jazz and specialty experiences in an exceptional setting.
Tickets are $28/General Public, $23 USC Faculty/Staff & Military, and $8 Students (Discounted Tickets must be purchased at the box office.)