Tom Roberts: Hot Club of Pittsburgh Presents an Evening with Duke Ellington - Livestream Monroeville Library

Tom Roberts, Duke Ellington

Pianist and jazz historian Tom Roberts for an evening of music you've probably heard about but have never heard before: Duke Ellingtonʼs early work, from the opening days of the Cotton Club to the beginning of his partnership with Billy Strayhorn. This listening session shares Ellington's music on 78 rpm record -- the oldest and rarest records that capture truly high quality sound. Itʼs like book club for jazz heads, with Tom playing 78s from his vast collection while sharing his unique insights into Ellington's musical artistry and place in jazz history.

Pianist/composer/arranger/historian/writer Tom Roberts has been acclaimed as one of the world's foremost practitioners of the art of Harlem Stride Piano. He has been featured at Jazz in July at the 92nd St Y, the Professor Longhair Societyʼs Piano Night at Tipitina's New Orleans, Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops Orchestra, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and the International Stride Piano Summit in Zurich, Switzerland. He has toured throughout the world as pianist and musical director for Leon Redbone. As a jazz historian, Tom also presents lectures on 'Why Louis Armstrong Matters' and 'The Forgotten History of Pittsburgh Jazz'.