The Applebaum Jazz Piano Duo, an ensemble consisting of pianists Mark Applebaum (Carleton Class of 1989) and his father, Bob Applebaum, will present a concert performance that combines idiosyncratically arranged jazz standards and original pieces for two pianos. The concert, which is free and open to the public, will take place on Friday, September 23 from 8 to 9:30 p.m. in the Carleton College Concert Hall.
The Applebaums’ repertoire includes pieces that range from the traditional to profoundly warped versions of the blues. Their album, The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree (Innova, 2006), has been described as an “exciting chemistry and intuition that develops symbiotically within the duo… they improvise wonderful, dynamic textures of intricate rhythms, colorful harmonies, and intriguing melodies.”
Mark Applebaum, who received his Ph.D. in music composition from the University of California at San Diego (UCSD), has written solo, chamber, choral, orchestral, and operatic music that has been performed across the United States, as well as in Asia, Africa, and Europe. He has received commissions from numerous groups, including the Vienna Modern Festival, the American Composers Forum, Festival ADEvantgarde in Munich, the St. Lawrence String Quartet, and Antwerps’ Champ D’Action. Applebaum is also the recipient of the American Music Center’s Stephen Albert Award. He has taught at UCSD, Mississippi State University, and Carleton College, and is currently a professor of composition and music theory at Stanford University. Mark Applebaum is a 1989 graduate of Carleton College, where he earned a B.A. in music.
A science teacher at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois from 1965 until his retirement in 2000, music has been Bob Applebaum’s hobby rather than his career. Having had experience composing scores for student-written musicals as an undergraduate student at the University of Chicago, he began composing choral music for Jewish liturgy, along with other choral pieces. His compositions have been performed by professional, community, and children’s choirs in the Chicago area and nationwide. The elder Applebaum has also performed on two albums in addition to that which he released with his son: Hora and Blue (Global Village, 1993) with the Modern Klezmer Quartet, and Friday Night Jazz Service (2007).
This event is sponsored by the Carleton College Music Department. For more information or disability accommodations, call the music events hotline at (507) 222-4350 or contact ghong@carleton.edu. The Concert Hall is located on the Carleton campus, between the corners of Winona and Nevada Streets in Northfield.
