A Few Miles from Memphis: A Birthday Tribute to Harold Mabern

Wed, Mar 20

*PLEASE NOTE: All 7PM and 9PM shows at Smoke are Dinner Shows Eric Alexander – tenor saxophone Emmet Cohen – piano Nat Reeves – bass Joe Farnsworth – drums “By any metric, pianist Harold Mabern was a jazz legend.” – Jazziz Pianist Emmet Cohen joins tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, bassist Nat Reeves, and drummer Joe Farnsworth to celebrate the music and memory of the great Harold Mabern on the occasion that would have been his 88th birthday. WBGO described Mabern as “a pianist of percussive fire and boundless soul, with a language that pulled from hard bop, post-bop, Memphis soul, and the blues.” Jazziz adds that he was “a pianist whose warm, soul-infused playing was a glowing reminder of the bond between jazz and blues.” He was also a ubiquitous, irreplaceable favorite presence at Smoke from the beginning, appearing countless times over the years, most often with Alexander, Reeves, and Farnsworth. Along with Cohen, they form the perfect group to bring Mabern’s energetic and essential repertoire to life.