Ray Gallon | Drop Me Off in Harlem

Event Description

Celebrate the rich musical legacy of Harlem with renowned NYC pianist Ray Gallon in support of his trio album with legendary bassist Ron Carter and drum master Lewis Nash, “Grand Company”, available on Cellar Music. “Drop Me Off in Harlem”, the opening track on the album, is Ray’s arrangement of this classic Duke Ellington song, composed in 1933 during the Harlem Renaissance, soon after Ellington concluded his long residency as musical director of the famed Cotton Club.

Harlem has played a huge role in Ray’s life and career. A lifelong resident of Manhattan, Ray has played countless gigs at many of the leading Harlem venues and is a long-standing full-time faculty member of the Jazz Studies program at The City College of New York, located in the heart of Harlem.

Rooted in bebop and blues, Ray’s expressive, swinging playing, as well as his distinctive compositions, meld old and new into a fresh, original style.

A mainstay of the NYC jazz scene for over three decades. Ray has played with a long list of jazz luminaries, including Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Farmer, Ron Carter, Les Paul, Milt Jackson, Joe Williams, and Jon Hendricks, including performances at major international jazz festivals around the world, the Kennedy Center and the White House. Ray’s previous Cellar Music release, the trio album “Make Your Move”, featuring bassist David Wong and drummer Kenny Washington, was critically acclaimed for bringing a refreshing new trio sound to mainstream jazz.

Ray has the pleasure of appearing in Victoria with bass virtuoso Louis Rudner and multi-instrumental sensation John Lee on drums.