The spectacular jazz pianist Dick Durham will perform solo and with a duo, trio and quartet at The Mainstay in Rock Hall, MD on Saturday May 7 at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $20. For information and reservations call 410-639-9133. Information is also available at the Mainstay’s website https://www.mainstayrockhall.org.
Dick Durham is a brilliant jazz pianist who is also a wonderful arranger and composer. A Mainstay favorite, he returns to play first as a solo and then with a duo, trio and quartet along with Blake Cramer on vibes and a rhythm section composed of Bob Offerman on bass and Bill McHenry on drums.
Durham is a strong believer in melody, harmony, and rhythm as essential components of jazz. He engages the piano using both hands quietly, joyously and even raucously. John Wilson in the New York Times once proclaimed that he has “A style approaching that of a quartet.”
Among his early influences were Oscar Peterson, Errol Garner, Teddy Wilson and Monte Alexander but his style is uniquely his own. He has performed in concert with Count Basie, Stanley Turentine and Grover Washington.
His compositions have earned him two separate Maryland Governor’s Citations for excellence in the performing arts in 2003 and 2005. Ballads from his original musicals (adaptations of ‘She Stoops to Conquer’ and ‘Celluloid’) reflect on the joy and pathos of life. In May 2010 his musical “Celluloid” with Earl Lewin was produced in New York City at the 45th St. Theater.
Durham lives in Church Hill, MD and holds a BA in English and an M.A. in music.
Blake Cramer on vibes is Senior Chief Musician of the US Naval Academy Band Annapolis. He has played with the Dick Durham Trio on many occasions and is an exquisite melodic interpreter of the American song form. About Cramer, Durham says, “I have performed with people like Grover Washington, Ernie Watts and Stanley Turrentine, but have NEVER found a more innovative nor beautifully melodic musician than Blake Cramer.”
The Mainstay (Home of Musical Magic) is the friendly informal storefront performing arts center on Rock Hall’s old time Main Street. It is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit dedicated to the arts, serving Rock Hall, MD and the surrounding region. It is committed to presenting local, regional and national level talent, at a reasonable price, in an almost perfect acoustic setting. Wine, beer, sodas and snacks are available at the bar.
The Mainstay is supported by ticket sales, fundraising including donations from friends and audience members and an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts Council.
For information and reservations call the Mainstay at 410-639-9133. More information is also available at the Mainstay’s website https://www.mainstayrockhall.org.
Upcoming Mainstay performances include:
May 14 Danny Paisley and The Southern Grass
May 19 Debo Band
May 21 Cassie and Maggie MacDonald
May 28 Viktorija Gečytė with Go Trio
June 4 Chuck Redd Quartet
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