Friday April 9 @ 7:30
THE MICHAEL KAESHAMMER TRIO
Presented by Venables Theatre

Michael Kaeshammer returns to Venables Theatre, this time performing with his trio!

Something magical happens when Michael Kaeshammer sits at the piano. Sure, like all pianists, he plays 12 notes across 88 keys. But the musician and songwriter coaxes dazzling, kaleidoscopic sounds from his instrument in a way few can rival.

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So, it’s no surprise that Turn It Up — Kaeshammer’s towering 15th album — is superb, a dynamic, rollicking collection though one stubbornly resistant to a single, catchall genre. “Eclectic yet accessible jazz-based pop” might come closest to the mark, but it doesn’t quite capture it all. Like his sprawling record collection, which houses everything from AC/DC to Erik Satie, Kaeshammer’s songs reflect his boundless appreciation of music in whatever form it takes.

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For him, playing just jazz or just pop or just boogie-woogie instead of all three — sometimes with a classical instrumental piece thrown in — would be the aural equivalent of eating a cheese sandwich for lunch. Every. Single. Day.

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“Michael is one of the best pianists in the country. When it comes to boogie-woogie, I don’t know anyone better,” says Turn It Up co-songwriter, bass player, and producer Ron Lopata.

“I’m a very positive person,” confirms the seven-time JUNO Award nominee. “I always try to turn negatives into positives.”

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“I love playing shows and being on-stage and if this music helps me to do more of that, then I’m all in. Music is my favourite thing to do.”