Martin Lesch & Friends

MARTIN LESCH

Internationally acclaimed pianist Martin Lesch performs an eclectic mix of music from early stride piano to jazz renditions of the Beatles and Bob Marley with equal joy. He has been a staple of the southern regional music scene for over two decades. His Monday night concert series “A Journey Through Jazz” at Hilton Head's legendary Jazz Corner plays to sold out audiences weekly. Lesch recently released a CD entitled “Journey Through Jazz” featuring jazz from all time periods that charted on ITunes Jazz Charts. Raised in New York City, Lesch’s mother convinced his father to spend his Christmas bonus on a piano, and Martin got the lessons he asked for on his fifth birthday. He studied with a NYU professor from an early age, graduating high school early to attend the Berklee College of Music. Lured by the active music scene for working players, he transplanted to the Southeast touring nationally and internationally with various artists and sharing the stage with numerous Grammy winners for a couple of decades. A meeting with the Jazz Corner’s founder, Bob Marsteller, led to a job offer at a time when life on the road had lost some of its allure. Lesch now has the time to indulge his passion for music education. He works with the nonprofit Junior Jazz Foundation which promotes Jazz education for the next young generation of musicians. What started with nine students, has grown in ten years to over 100. You may have heard the Junior Jazz All Stars perform at the HHSO’s performance space, SoundWaves. Martin has become an active champion for the arts generally in our community—as a board member of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, the Hilton Head Arts Council and the HHI Crescendo Festival—proposing in a TEDx talk that with “more community support and institutional structure”, the Lowcountry could become an arts destination.

For years I stuck to the more traditional roads of Jazz, but over time it grew on me that I needed to be more inclusive. I grew up around a lot of different cultures and types of music and I wanted to speak to a younger generation and hopefully inspire more of them to embrace jazz as listeners and musicians. So, as I started to perform more contemporary popular music, I realized it freed me from the constraints of being married to a genre. At the same time, I’ve tried to apply the great improvisational and free elements of Jazz to everything I perform.

This performance is made possible by a generous contribution from Diana Riggle.

Martin Lesch and Friends: Sing Out!

Tuesday, June 8 at 7:30 pm • Hilton Head Beach and Tennis Resort

PLAYING WITH MARTIN:

Guitarist Jackson Evans is a staple of the Lowcountry jazz community. He is known for his partnership with bassist and singer Maggie Evans and leading his own trio, but can also be heard with the Jody Espina Trio, and the Martin Lesch band. His style is energetic, rhythmic, and draws deeply from the jazz tradition while maintaining a quirky individualism culled from the influence of other music. When not performing, Jackson is a representative for Benedetto Guitars, is an avid bicycle racer, and loves to spend time with his rescue dog, Carter. Robert Britton Saunders is a Savannah native and a rising drummer on the local scene. He attended Savannah Chatham County Public schools graduating from Windsor Forest High School. After that, he attended Armstrong State University as a student of Dr. Stephen Primatic. He has played with local jazz hero’s such as Teddy Adams, Ben Tucker, Howard Paul, Huxie Scott, and Gina Renee. He is also a member of The Eric Jones Trio and the Isaac Smith band. Marc Chesanow holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Memphis in addition to a Bachelor’s Degree from the Eastman School of Music in Double Bass performance. Currently residing in Savannah, Georgia, Marc can be heard regularly performing with the Savannah Philharmonic and The Hilton Head Symphony as well as regular performances at jazz venues such as the Good Times Jazz Bar and The Jazz Corner. Marc was formerly on the faculty of Coastal Carolina University and was the program coordinator for music at Southeastern Community College. In 1993, Marc was awarded a Grammy award in the Student Jazz/Big Band category. Marc has performed with artists Tom Scott, Wycliffe Gordon, Rod Stewart, Bernadette Peters, Isaac Hayes, Maureen McGovern, Eddy Arnold, the Marvelettes, Joel Grey, Tommy Tedesco, The Moody Blues and many others.