The first installment of Monongalia Arts Center 2012 quarterly jazz series, produced in collaboration with musician Jenny Wilson, will be the ARt of the TRio. The ARt of the TRio will feature The Jenny Wilson Trio, The Lou Stellute Trio, and The Eric Susoeff Trio. Each group will showcase a different instrument including saxophone, piano, and guitar.
Tenor sax player, Lou Stellute is known for his big sound, animated playing, versatility, and mastery of the post-bop and modal genres. In recent years, he has been the preferred saxophonist for jazz groups such as Roger Humphries and RH Factor and the Dwayne Dolphin Quintet. In 2005, Lou was the recipient of the Pittsburgh Players’ Choice Award, given by his peers. In 2011, he was inducted into the Pittsburgh Jazz Hall of Fame.
Well known to local jazz enthusiasts, guitarist and composer Eric Susoeff has been part of the Pittsburgh music scene since his debut with Harold Betters at the Encore in 1976. Offering a warm, bluesy, full-bodied sound, he has played with a long list of local and international luminaries including: Dizzy Gillespie, David Amram, Roger Williams, Airto, Ivan Lins, Romero Lubambo, Charo, Frankie Avalon, Marty Allen, Eric Kloss, Frank Cunimondo, Gene Ludwig, Pete Henderson, Dave & Maureen Budway, Sandy Staley, Kenia, Roger Humphreys, H.B. Bennett, Kenny Blake, Walt Harper, Nathan Davis, Don Aliquo, John Wilson and many others.
Jenny Wilson, a graduate of WVU’s Master of Music Jazz Pedagogy program has toured in Switzerland, Austria and Germany with jazz greats Art Lande and Chris Neville. While completing her undergraduate music degree in New England she played regularly with bassist John Lockwood and guitarist Tony Gaboury. She has composed music for two of her three CD recordings and recently had one of her compositions played during the candlelight vigil held at WVU for the Upper Big Branch mining disaster. She continues to compose, perform and record with her current trio here in Morgantown and is active with the West Virginia Jazz Society as a performer and clinician. Her husband and bassist for the trio, Nathan Wilson recently appeared on national television with Pittsburgh’s Squonk Opera. Jenny’s son Evan (currently a freshman at WVU) plays drums regularly with the trio.
The ARt of the TRio will be held in MAC's Tanner Theatre Sunday, February 26 at 4 pm. Admission is $15. Seating is limited, so reserve your tickets early by calling (304)292-3325, or visit our online MACstore at www.monartscenter.com/shop. Reserved tickets can be picked up at the lobby desk the afternoon of the performance. The ARt of the TRio is made possible through generous sponsorships from Freedom KIA, WV Jazz Society, The Golden Finch, Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Fusco, and Perna Health Physics, Inc.
