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 artists such as John Hammond, Delbert McClinton, Ronnie Earl, Little Milton, Butch Trucks, Duke Robillard, and David “Fathead” Newman.

He has had 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.

Awards and nominations: seven-time nominee (2008, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2021) 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 in 2020 for the same award for the 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 a signature sound all his own.

Teaching and education: Katz 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 piano at age 5, studied classical piano, and after exposure to Bessie Smith and boogie-woogie/swing, pursued blues and early jazz. He attended Berklee in the mid-1970s for composition and performance, later earned a Master’s degree in Jazz Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, and studied with Geri Allen, Paul Bley, Cecil McBee, and George Russell.

Career highlights: in the early 1980s he toured with Big Mama Thornton. After touring with Barrence Whitfield and the Savages in the late ’80s, he focused on further study and composition, which led to the formation of the Bruce Katz Band. In 1992 he joined Ronnie Earl’s Broadcasters for nearly five years, touring the world and appearing on six albums; he co-wrote tunes including The Colour of Love, Ice Cream Man, and Hippology. The album Grateful Heart won the DownBeat Critics Poll for Best Blues Album of 1996. Katz released solo albums including Crescent Crawl (1992), Transformation (1993), and Mississippi Moan (1997) and then concentrated on his solo career and the Bruce Katz Band. He has also played with Duke Robillard (2001–02), John Hammond (2005–present), Gregg Allman (2007–13), and Delbert McClinton (2011–2014).

Katz’s albums have received wide radio play and critical coverage. He teaches privately at his studio in West Shokan, NY, offers long-distance Skype lessons, and conducts master classes in blues/jazz piano style and history, Hammond B3, and blues history at schools, universities, and festivals worldwide. He has been based in Woodstock, NY since 2005.

Event details:
- Date: November 14
- Time: Doors 5:30 PM; Showtime 7:00 PM (event listed 7:00 PM–9:00 PM)
- Venue: The 443 Social Club & Lounge, 443 Burnet Ave, Syracuse, NY 13203

Ticket and seating info:
- The 443 is an intimate listening room with table service that seats 75 people.
- The green squares/circles on the floor plan are bar-height tables; the 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 share a table with other single attendees.
- Multiple tickets purchased under the same name will 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 and tickets:
- 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