LIVE at Piedmont Piano Company
Charles Chen
"Building Characters" Album Release Party!
Charles Chen celebrates his freshly released latest album, Building Characters (recorded with Bob Sheppard, Randy Brecker, Adam Nussbaum, Mike Richmond, released May 15, 2025). This show features a classic sextet playing originals and arrangements from classic repertoire, Building Characters, and a special sneak peek of his next album. The songs and arrangements will be a range of different styles from the golden age Blue Note era (think Art Blakey Messengers, Horace Silver, Benny Golson).
General Admission
$25 advanced / $30 at the door
We are offering a limited number of seats for this performance. Advanced purchase is recommended. Masking is no longer required.
CHARLES CHEN
Charles Chen is a San Francisco Bay Area pianist who performed or recorded with notable musicians such as Randy Brecker, Billy Drummond, Bob Sheppard, Roy McCurdy, Adam Nussbaum, Mike Richmond, Ralph Moore, Peter Washington, and Kenny Washington. He has played at Yoshi's, San Jose Jazz Festival, and Freight and Salvage. In 2019, he won first place at the Jazz Search West competition. Charles leads a trio and has performed internationally in Taiwan, Singapore and Japan. His debut album, Charles, Play!, was featured as one of the Best Albums of 2024 in Downbeat Magazine.
Charles is also a passionate educator and his students have gone to the best music schools in the nation (Juilliard, MSM, Berklee, NEC) and won a variety of awards (YoungArts distinctions, all-state band placements, and first place for arranging and performance in the Charles Mingus competition).
He serves as the historian of the South Bay Traditional Jazz Society. He is also an admin to Jazzcord, a popular jazz discord community with over 7000 members, where he writes historical essays and album reviews regularly. charlesperforms.com
ARMEN KRAKIRIAN
Armen Krakirian is an accomplished trumpeter and private teacher based in the Bay Area, California. Holding a degree in Jazz Trumpet Performance from Oberlin Conservatory (2023), Armen's musical journey has been enriched under the mentorship of the renowned jazz virtuoso, Dr. Eddie Henderson. Passionate about both performance and education, Armen has shared the stage with renowned artists such as Gerald Cannon, Gary Bartz, Billy Hart, Jay Ashby, Jake Silverman, and many others.
Drawing inspiration from Hard Bop legends like Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Woody Shaw, and a kaleidoscope of genres spanning Electronic, Rap/Hip-Hop, Pop, Classical, and Metal, Armen's versatility sets him apart. Beyond the confines of traditional jazz, his musical palette is a vibrant spectrum that resonates with diverse influences. armenkmusic.com
CARL SCHULTZ
The career of saxophonist Carl Schultz has seen him as a soloist, composer, woodwind specialist, educator, and historian. Currently residing in Santa Clara, California where he serves as Director of Jazz Studies at Santa Clara University, Schultz is completing work on a new album, The Road To Trantor. This avant-fusion eight movement suite is an exploration of the themes found in science fiction author Issac Asimov’s works. This album is a follow up to Schultz’s trio recording, ACT reACT, an album featuring the compositions and playing of his mentor, pianist Art Lande.
In his capacity performing earlier styles of Jazz, Schultz was a touring member of The Glenn Miller Orchestra. During his time with the group Schultz played nearly 1,000 performances and is featured on The Glenn Miller Orchestra: Live In Tokyo. Schultz’s career has also featured many modern Jazz large ensembles such as Brad Goode's Polytonal Big Band, the Lars Halle Jazz Orchestra, Norman David and the Eleventet, and Slowbern’s Dreams of Daedalus. carlschultzmusic.com
JOEL BERMAN
Joel Behrman grew up in Belleville Illinois, a St. Louis suburb. At age 9 he started on his first instrument, trombone, a horn he still plays frequently today. He went on to earn his music degree at the University of Miami, studying with world-class improvisers like Ira Sullivan, Barry Ries, John Bailey, Jason Carder and Al Hood. Joel has performed with such such notables as Jimmy Cobb, Chris Potter, Ledisi, Jazzmeia Horn, Helen Sung, Chester Thompson, Dayna Stephens, and has recently toured and recorded with drumming superstar, Sheila E as well as her father, the latin jazz legend, Pete Escovedo. Since moving to the San Francisco bay area, he's performed with several local jazz musicians including Marcus Shelby, Tiffany Austin, Howard Wiley, Mike Olmos, Patrick Wolff, Adam Klipple, Anton Schwartz, Larry Vuckovich, Jules Broussard, and Lavay Smith. In 2012 he released his debut album, Steppin Back.
Outside of the jazz world, Joel has toured with American Idol winner, Phillip Phillips, K.C. and the Sunshine Band and Boz Scaggs. He's also performed with Etta James, Gladys Knight, Natalie Cole, Tony! Toni! Tone!, The Funk Brothers, Barry Manilow, and Josh Groban. joelbmusic.com
JOSH THURSTON-MILGROM
Josh Thurston-Milgrom is a jazz bassist and educator whose career has taken him from the Bay Area to the South Side of Chicago, to East Berlin and back again. He is Director of Instrumental Music at Castilleja School, Lecturer in Jazz Bass at Stanford University, and a longtime member of the faculty of the Stanford Jazz Workshop. He also teaches privately and performs both as a sideman and leading his own group, and his album Thirsty Pilgrim Songs is available on all platforms. You can listen here.
JOHN MacDONALD
John MacDonald is a composer, educator, and drummer based in the San Francisco Bay area. After completing his studies at the Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory, he performed alongside Taylor Dayne, opening for Earth, Wind, & Fire, Guggenheim Fellow David Fiuczynski, and David Gilmore. While primarily freelancing as a composer and sound designer for video games and short films, John continues to teach through the Stanford Jazz Workshop and present his ludomusicological research on breakbeat music in games, with recent presentations at Oxford University, the national meeting for the Popular Culture Association (PCA), the University of Calgary, and the University of Manchester. jmcdmusic.weebly.com