Robert Redd
On Saturday, June 25, The Mainstay in Rock Hall caps off its month-long tribute to the Great American Songbook with a program led by Mainstay favorite, pianist Robert Redd. Redd will be joined by alto sax player Marty Nau and jazz guitarist Steve Abshire for a show they have titled “Swinging with the Songbook.”
Robert Redd is a member of the prestigious Duke Ellington Orchestra that tours across the U.S as well as abroad (most recent tours have included Japan, Singapore, Israel, Great Britain, and Brazil). He is also the pianist and leader of the Wolf Trap Jazz Trio. From 1995 to 998 Redd was pianist and musical director for singer/ songwriter Kenny Rankin. He still finds time to perform with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. Redd worked frequently with legendary performers, guitarist Charlie Byrd and sax great Phil Woods. He is a featured artist at the annual W.C. Handy Music Festival in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Robert has performed with jazz luminaries such as John Pizzarelli, James Moody, Melba Moore, the Harry James Band, and the Artie Shaw Band to name just a few.
Marty Nau is a highly active and sought-after jazz alto saxophone player in the Washington DC Area. He has performed with such performers as Dizzy Gillespie, Stanley Turrentine, Joe Williams, Rosemary Clooney, Nancy Wilson, Maureen McGovern, Snooky Young, and many others. Marty also played lead alto sax and conducted for the Navy’s premiere jazz ensemble, the Commodores before retiring from the group in 1997.
Jazz guitarist Steve Abshire’s accomplished musical style is distilled from years of influence and study with jazz greats Herb Ellis, Joe Pass, and Barney Kessel. Abshire, also an alumnus of the Commodores, has accompanied well-known vocalists Della Reese, Etta Jones, and Diane Shuur. He has appeared in concert with the Great Guitars as Barney Kessel’s substitute, and is a repeat performer at the famed Jazz in Marciac Jazz Festival in France.
Showtime for the live concert event is 8 pm. Tickets are $20 in advance of the show and can be purchased online at mainstayrockhall.org. Phone reservations are accepted by calling (410) 639-9133 (tickets reserved by phone are $25 when paid at the door). The Mainstay is located at 5753 N Main Street in Rock Hall, Maryland. Its regular calendar of local, regional, and nationally touring artists features a live performance every week of the year (February through December) in a variety of music genres.
The programs of the Mainstay are supported with funds from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Kent Cultural Alliance.
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