Paul Hecht Quartet

media release: BlueStem Jazz is back on the Garver Patio featuring the Paul Hecht Quartet.

Pianist Paul Hecht makes his debut in Madison with a dynamic quartet built on the ace Chicago rhythm section of Emma Dayhuff on bass and Neil Hemphill on drums, and featuring the legendary violinist Mark Feldman.

Hecht connected with Feldman in 2021 through a shared love of the music of guitarist John Abercrombie (1944–2017). Hecht leads a group in Chicago that plays, among other things, Abercrombie compositions from his late-1970s piano quartet, and through Feldman, also has presented compositions from Abercrombie’s “third” quartet, of which Feldman was a crucial member for more than a decade.

Mark Feldman’s career has spanned many musical worlds and a tremendous list of collaborators; since his recent move to Chicago, he has collaborated with, among others, Matt Ulery, Russ Johnson, Tim Daisy, Ethan Philion, Katinka Kleijn, and Fareed Haque, and has presented extraordinary solo improvised performances at various venues.

Emma Dayhuff is a recent graduate of the prestigious Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance, and has recorded and performed with, among many others, Herbie Hancock, David Murray, Jeff Parker, Kahil El Zabar, Gretchen Parlato, Robert Irving III, Patricia Barber, Victor Goines, Nicole Mitchell, and Willie Pickens. She is also currently pursuing a DMA at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Awarded as the 2020 Luminarts Fellow in Jazz Improvisation, Neil Hemphill is an in-demand drummer on the Chicago jazz and hip hop music scenes. A recent graduate of DePaul University, Neil has performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival, the Jazz Showcase, the Green Mill, and is a regular with the Richard Johnson Quartet.

This event will relocate to Garver Canvas (indoor art gallery next to Ledger Coffee) should the weather conditions be unfavorable.