TROY — Hayner’s annual Jazz in March concert series will feature highly acclaimed bassist Robert Hurst on Friday, March 17, 2023 at 7 p.m. The series is hosted by Keigo Hirakawa and will begin with a short interview with Hurst to learn more about his beginnings and inspirations as a musician. Hurst will be joined by percussionist Nate Winn and Keigo on piano.

Robert Hurst is a jazz bassist, composer, producer, director and educator. Among his many awards are seven Grammys and four Emmys. He is known for his tours and recordings with such notables as: Sir Paul McCartney, Charles Lloyd, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Dave Brubeck, Harry Connick Jr., Terrence Blanchard, Tony Williams, Nicholas Payton, Sting, Carl Allen, Pharaoh Sanders, Barbara Streisand, Willie Nelson, Yo Yo Ma, Ravi Coltrane, Chris Botti and Diane Krall. Notable contributions are his work on television soundtracks for “The Cosby Show” and the film “Mo’ Better Blues,” as well as eight seasons with Jay Leno’s “The Tonight Show” for which he won four of his Emmys for his work performing, directing, arranging and composing. Original music scores for movies include, “The Wood,” “Brown Sugar,” as well as appearing on over thirty other movie soundtracks. Hurst has also released several albums as a bandleader and has received critical acclaim for his innovative and creative approach to jazz bass performance. Hurst is also a respected educator and has taught at several prominent music schools, including the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School. He is currently with the University Michigan near his hometown of Detroit.

Hurst will be bringing percussionist Winn with him for this concert. Winn is also a Detroit native who discovered his passion for the drums in church at the age of 4. He has performed with such jazz greats as Danilo Perez, Pat Metheny and Joshua Redman. His style is influenced by jazz, blues and his gospel upbringing. Some of his favorite percussion influences are Brian Blade, Kendrick Scott, and Calvin Rodgers.

Nate graduated from Wayne State University and Berklee College of Music with a bachelor’s in music and a master’s in jazz performance, respectively.

On piano is Dayton’s Hirakawa who is a complex and diverse talent in his own right. When he came to America from Tokyo at age 11, he was studying classical piano with dreams of becoming an orchestra conductor. He studied under Anthony Branker, Michael Cochrane, Stephen Scott and Walt Weiskopf.

Hirakawa would eventually earn a Ph.D. in engineering as well as a master’s degree in music in jazz piano performance from the New England Conservatory. Today, Hirakawa splits his time as an in-demand jazz pianist as well as an engineering professor at the University of Dayton.

The concert is free to the public due to the generosity of the citizens of Troy. Due to the popularity of this series, and the limited seating capacity, reserved seating will be taken for half the available seats. Join us for this unique musical experience on March 17 at 7 p.m. at the Troy-Hayner Cultural Center at 301 W. Main St., Troy. You can make your reservations at www.TroyHayner.org/jazz.