Celebrating Dexter Gordon.
Kirk Lightsey from Detroit, Michigan is regarded as one of the greatest pianists of today’s jazz scene worldwide. He is a pianist of immense accomplishment and versatility who worked with major jazz stars including Betty Carter, Pharoah Sanders, Bobby Hutcherson, Sonny Stitt, David Murray, Chet Baker, Kenny Burrell, Freddie Hubbard, Curtis Fuller, Harold Land, James Moody, Clifford Jordan, Benny Golson, Don Cherry, and many many more – not least his regular collaborations here with Steve Watts and Dave Wickins
Lightsey had had piano instruction from age five and studied piano and clarinet through high school, combining both the classical school as well as modern influences of jazz. One of his major accomplishments was his time when touring with Dexter Gordon in the 70s and 80s. Dexter’s time with Kirk Lightsey set the highest standards possible and rightly so Kirk carries Dexter’s legacy till this day, being the ideal pianist for the legend.
He was musically and spiritual wise Dexter ́s equal.
After a long time living in Paris, Kirk returned to New York for the first time in 2014 for a series of concerts including the Vanguard. Unsurprisingly the Vanguard concert made it to the “New York Times” Top 10 Concerts in Town 2014, when Kirk Lightsey turned his official stateside return into a brisk renewal of purpose.
Now Kirk Lightsey will present his very intimate Dexter Gordon-program to European audiences and will take them back in time when this grandmaster of jazz made music history accompanied by a then young pianist of heart.
Paul Zauner is known to Vortex audiences as trombonist-leader for his sold-out concert last year of Voices Of Harlem. He is also known as the founder of the Inntone festival in Austria. In 2008 he brought an unknown Gregory Porter to Europe for the first time. The rest is history…..