Bruce Katz – 11/14

Bruce Katz is a legendary keyboardist (Hammond B3 and piano) who has released 12 albums as a leader and appeared on over 75 other CDs with the likes of John Hammond, Delbert McClinton, Ronnie Earl, Little Milton, Butch Trucks, Duke Robillard, David "Fathead" Newman, and many others.

He has a strong musical connection with the Allman Brothers Band, was a member of Gregg Allman’s band for six years (2007–2013), and has played with Jamoe’s Jasssz Band (2010–2015), Butch Trucks’ Freight Train Band and Les Brers (2015–2017). He also occasionally toured with the Allman Brothers.

Bruce is a seven-time (2008, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2021) nominee for the Blues Music Award (W. C. Handy Award) for “Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year.” He won the BMA for Acoustic Blues Album of the Year in 2019 for the collaboration Journeys to the Heart of the Blues (with Joe Louis Walker and Giles Robson) and was nominated again in 2020 for the same award for his acoustic piano album Solo Ride. He was also nominated for “Outstanding Musician (Keyboards)” by Living Blues Magazine in 2015 and 2019.

He combines blues and American roots music with elements of jazz and improvisational rock to create his signature sound.

Bruce was an Associate Professor at the Berklee College of Music for fourteen years (1996–2010), teaching harmony, Hammond organ labs, blues history and private piano instruction.

He began playing piano at age 5 and has a background in classical piano. After hearing a Bessie Smith record at age 10, he taught himself blues and early jazz on piano, later exploring boogie-woogie, swing, and other aspects of jazz and American roots music. He attended Berklee College of Music in the mid-1970s, studying composition and performance.

In the early 1980s he played with Big Mama Thornton on her East Coast tours. After extensive touring in the late ’80s with Barrence Whitfield and the Savages, he enrolled at the New England Conservatory of Music and earned a Master’s degree in Jazz Performance, studying with Geri Allen, Paul Bley, Cecil McBee, and George Russell. It was during this time he began writing music that became the Bruce Katz Band.

In 1992 he joined Ronnie Earl’s band, The Broadcasters, touring the world and performing on six albums. He wrote and co-wrote tunes including “The Colour of Love,” “Ice Cream Man,” and “Hippology.” The album Grateful Heart (Bullseye) won the Downbeat Critics Poll for Best Blues Album of 1996.

Also in 1992 Katz released his first solo album, Crescent Crawl, followed by Transformation (1993). Just before the release of Mississippi Moan (1997) he left the Broadcasters to concentrate on a solo career; the Bruce Katz Band then began touring the U.S. and Europe.

He has played with Duke Robillard (2001–02), John Hammond (2005–present), Gregg Allman (2007–13), Delbert McClinton (2011–2014) and many other roots, blues, and rock performers. His albums have consistently appeared high on national and international radio play charts, and he has been the subject of feature stories and reviews in leading blues and jazz publications.

Katz teaches piano, Hammond organ and theory privately at his studio in West Shokan, NY, and offers long-distance online lessons. He also conducts master classes in blues/jazz piano style and history, Hammond B3, and blues history at schools, universities and festivals worldwide. Formerly from Boston, he has been based in Woodstock, NY since 2005.

Event details:

• Date: November 14
• Time: 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm (Doors: 5:30 pm, Showtime: 7:00 pm)
• Venue: The 443 Social Club & Lounge, 443 Burnet Ave, Syracuse, NY 13203
• Event category: Live Music
• Event tags: Bruce Katz, Hammond B3

Ticket info:

• The 443 is an intimate listening room with table service and seats 75 people.
• Green squares/circles on the floor plan are bar-height tables; orange squares are regular-height tables.
• Most seats are sold as “Tables for Two” (each ticket admits two people).
• A limited number of single seats are available; single attendees may be sharing a table with other single attendees.
• Multiple tickets purchased under the same name will automatically be seated together (up to 6 people).
• Requesting a specific table is a perk reserved for VIP Patron members.
• If anyone in your party needs special seating arrangements (walker, cane, service animal, wheelchair, low table requirement, or you want to be seated with another party), please email the venue after you place your order.

Links:

• Artist website: https://www.brucekatzband.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brucekatzmusic/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brucekatzband/
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7cvmkkkAA2mTfwhhMSfrEi?si=lYTkR4R2RV6tTOWjDImxeg
• Tickets on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bruce-katz-at-the-443-social-club-tickets-1992374031361?aff=oddtdtcreator
• Video: https://youtu.be/RfIIphmNAIM?si=aQjPbdjMpaVcDY0o