Bryn Roberts: "Maturity, Poise, and Content"

"Bryn Roberts is really good and really worth hearing" writes the critic Peter Hum in the Ottawa Citizen, praising the pianist's "maturity, poise and content." According to Hum, "The smart money is on Roberts taking off, headed for big things." His music "has all the drive, inventiveness and originality you would expect from a person twice his age…well-played, thoughtful and erudite (not showy) jazz piano performance," in the words of All Music.Bryn grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and moved to Montreal to attend McGill University in 1994. While still a student, he began turning the heads of local musicians, and was performing frequently by the time he graduated. Around this time, Bryn began an apprenticeship with the pianist Fred Hersch, released his debut album (Present Tense), and landed a spot in the touring band of Maynard Ferguson.Before long, Bryn moved to New York, where he has steadily found work in a variety of musical situations. He's performed with a laundry list of the city's best mid-career jazz musicians (Chris Cheek, Chris Potter, Jaleel Shaw, John Ellis, Will Vinson, and Seamus Blake, to name just a few of the saxophonists), and is a member of the Alan Ferber Nonet. Bryn's second album under his own name, Ludlow (Fresh Sound), features the saxophonist Seamus Blake, the bassist Drew Gress, and the drummer Mark Ferber. However, the pianist can also frequently be heard alongside folk pop artists such as Dar Williams and Juno award winner Serena Ryder, as well as numerous others from the US, UK, and Malaysia.On Thursday, Bryn will bring his group to our stage as a part of our debut series. The ensemble features the saxophonist Seamus Blake, the bassist Orlando le Fleming, and the drummer Jochen Rueckert.You can stream Bryn's most recent album, Ludlow, in it's entirety via Spotify.