Leigh Pilzer, Amy K. Bormet, Herman Burney Trio

About

Leigh Pilzer hit the D.C. jazz scene early. Growing up in Montgomery County with the Redd Brothers, she started studying music at Montgomery College and falling in love with the swinging tradition of jazz after seeing Count Basie and his band. Pilzer is a dedicated teacher, having worked for many years at University of Maryland, Towson and George Mason University. She’s also one of the rare dedicated baritone saxophone players in the region and a force of nature on that horn, developed over years of playing in celebrated large ensembles like the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and Shannon Gunn’s Bullettes as well as her own skronking, swinging groups like Seven Pointed Star. Amy K. Bormet grew up in D.C. learning from Davey Yarborough at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and further honed her voice at Howard University’s music program. Her chops, rooted in the tradition, are evident, but her voice as a composer draws on a range of influences from sparse Nordic jazz to lyrical, grooving, Afro-Cuban pianistics. She’s a versatile pianist and vocalist — and the founder of the Washington Women in Jazz Festival. Bassist Herman Burney is one of the most common sites on the bandstands of the best bandleaders in the D.C. jazz scene. He regularly plays with top musicians like Allyn Johnson, Reginald Cyntje, Brian Settles as well as visiting maestros like Freddy Cole, Pharoah Sanders or Ethan Iverson. He plays firmly and unhurried, always laying a solid yet pliable foundation in the rhythm. The three D.C. jazz all-stars gather in a trio to perform.