Saturday, November 8th | 7:30 pm | Mary Irwin Theatre |
For over 30 years, award-winning pianist and composer Andy Milne has demonstrated remarkable versatility, collaborating with dancers, visual artists, poets, and musicians across genres. With UNISON, Milne returns to his first love, the piano trio, exploring intimacy, texture, and groove. He has developed a strong musical bond with bassist John Hébert since 2010, now rounded out by drummer Clarence Penn. Their debut, The reMission (Sunnyside Records), won the 2021 JUNO Award for Jazz Album of the Year: Group. Their latest album, Time Will Tell, continues this evolution and was nominated for the same award in 2024.
A former student of Oscar Peterson, Milne is a respected force in New York’s creative jazz scene. He’s collaborated with artists like Ravi Coltrane, Bruce Cockburn, and Cassandra Wilson, and was a core member of Steve Coleman’s M-BASE Collective. Milne also composes for classical ensembles and screen, scoring projects such as Black Life: Untold Stories and several films by William Shatner. In 2024, he premiered a piano quintet with the Isidore String Quartet, commissioned by the Banff International String Quartet
Competition. Milne is a Yamaha Artist and serves as Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Michigan.
Bassist John Hébert, originally from New Orleans, has been a sought-after player on the New York jazz scene since the mid-1990s. A former student of Rufus Reid, he’s recorded and performed with Fred Hersch, Andrew Hill, Paul Bley, Lee Konitz, and more. His 2015 album Rambling Confessions, featuring Andy Milne, received critical acclaim. Hébert has earned repeated recognition as a “Rising Star Acoustic Bassist” in Downbeat’s Critics Poll and has been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards for his collaborative work across the jazz spectrum.
Clarence Penn is one of today’s most in-demand jazz drummers. Known for his dynamic blend of precision and creativity, he has worked with Maria Schneider, Wynton Marsalis, Betty Carter, and Michael Brecker, among others. Penn’s discography includes Grammy-winning recordings and hundreds of studio albums. As a leader and sideman, he is known for his stylistic range and musical intuition. He’s also composed for film and commercials and produced music in pop and alternative genres. Since 2021, Penn has served as Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Central Florida.
“The emotionally complex album that came out of that session owes much to the single-minded focus of the three players as they moved fluently through Milne’s dynamic compositions.” Downbeat Magazine
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