Art Lande Trio Flex to Perform April 7 at UW

Jazz musician Art Lande’s trio Flex will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 7, in the University of Wyoming Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts recital hall.

Sponsored by the UW Department of Music’s Jazz Studies program, the concert is free and open to the public. The trio also will hold a master class at 1:10 p.m. the same day in the recital hall. Flex features pianist Lande, bassist Gonzalo Teppa and drummer Dru Heller.

Lande, a Grammy-nominated musician, is an internationally known pianist, composer, improviser, drummer and educator. He has performed with many of the “Who’s Who” in jazz such as Jan Garbarek, Charlie Haden, Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Mark Isham, Sheila Jordan, Paul McCandless, Woody Shaw, Steve Swallow and Kenny Wheeler.

His band Rubisa Patrol performed in Europe and recorded with ECM Records in the 1970s and 1980s. After teaching for three years in Switzerland, Lande moved to Boulder, Colo., where he played weekly performances for 15 years.

Lande is well known for his innovative approaches to teaching piano, improvisation and ear training. He has many regular students in Boulder and often travels internationally for workshops, camps and performances.

Teppa, a two-time Latin Grammy nominee, is a UW Department of Music faculty member. He was named Best Jazz Soloist by both Downbeat Magazine from 2004-06 and the Greeley Jazz Festival from 2004-05. Teppa has performed with recognized artists such as Don Byron, Ben Goldberg, Slide Hampton, Tom Harrell, Wynton Marsalis, Ron Miles, Jeremy Pelt, Chris Potter, Ed Simon, Jeff “Tain” Watts and Matt Wilson. 

Heller leads his own group and plays as a freelance musician in the Denver jazz scene. He is an affiliate faculty member at Metropolitan State University in Denver. Heller has recorded, performed and toured with artists such as John Ellis, Wycliffe Gordon, Kate McGarry, Ron Miles, Dave Pietro and Byron Stripling. 

For more information, call Kathy Kirkaldie, UW Fine Arts coordinator, at (307) 766-2160 or email kirisk@uwyo.edu.