The Furman Department of Music will present guest artist Straight Up! Saturday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m. in Daniel Recital Hall. The event is open to the public. A donation of $5 is suggested at the door.<\/p>\n
Straight Up! is a co-led jazz trio founded by guitarist and Furman alum Reed Miller and drummer Andrew Kushnir, joined by bassist Sam Trapchak.<\/p>\n
What began as outdoor sessions in Brooklyn\u2019s Prospect Park during the summer of 2021 quickly grew into a tightly knit ensemble rooted in the aesthetic of mid-century modernism. Eclectic and challenging repertoire rarely heard arranged for the guitar trio yields a new voice on the modern jazz scene.<\/p>\n
Straight Up!\u00a0has spent the past five years refining a sound one that honors the timeless energy of bebop and hard bop while exploring the harmonic and rhythmic complexity of composers like Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman, Randy Weston, and Bud Powell. While inspired by the legendary Poll Winners trio (Barney Kessel, Ray Brown, Shelley Manne), the trio performs compositions beyond the boundaries of mainstream guitar jazz.<\/p>\n
Straight Up!has quickly made a name in the Manhattan and Brooklyn jazz scenes performing at renowned venues like Smalls Jazz Club, Midnight Blue, St. Tuesday and The Red Room.<\/p>\n