Marotta Hour #4

I'm in the process of gearing up for the fourth installment of the Marotta Hour series at the OSU Urban Arts Space. The gallery continues to be super supportive, and we seem to keep attracting a small audience for ourselves.

This Thursday, January 15, we are presenting a program called Chamber Works of Brian A. Casey. Brian, if you don't know, passed away last September at age 36. He left behind hundreds of pieces of music that my friend Steve Perakis is just starting to go through. Brian is probably best known for as composer/trombonist for Honk, Wail, and Moan here in Columbus. Since so many of Brian's jazz compositions have been heard and enjoyed by so many people, we decided to devote some time to performing some of Brian's lesser heard chamber works.

It's an interesting ensemble of people: Steve on bass, Tim Perdue on trumpet, Ryan Jewell on drums, Marina Peterson on cello, Ted Royalty on vibes, me on guitar, and newcomer to our world, Marshall Rendina on piano. We had a rehearsal Sunday evening and the music sounded great and took some interesting turns, which you would expect considering the quality of the musicianship of those involved.

As usual, doors open at 6:30, music starts at 7 p.m. sharp and continues until 8 p.m. Admission is by a suggested donation of $5-$10. The Urban Arts Space is on 50 W. Town Street in downtown Columbus in the old Lazarus building. Rich Street to the south and Front Street to the west are good bets for parking.