Education Encounter with Randy Porter
On a crisp yet sunny winter day shortly before Christmas, Stanford Jazz presented its final Education Encounter of the 2007 Season. A way of saying thank you to our supporters, these small, invitation-only events have featured performances by artists such as Kenny Barron, Joe Lovano and Geoffrey Keezer. SJW's Education Encounters encourage a dialogue between listeners, artists and other significant contributors to the jazz world – a truly intimate experience and unique benefit of supporting Stanford Jazz Workshop. December's Encounter shone the well deserved spotlight on pianist Randy Porter, a member of SJW's faculty since 2003. Randy, who resides in Oregon and also teaches at Portland State University when not on tour, is a sought after accompanist who has worked with Benny Golson, Art Farmer and Charles McPherson, among many other established jazz artists. His performance included many holiday favorites from his latest recording, "A Midnight Clear," a collection of carols for solo piano. Randy was backed by fellow SJW faculty members bassist John Shifflett and drummer Jason Lewis.

If you’d like to be a part of SJW's Education Encounters as a member of our Inner Circle, contact Development Director Jeanne Sweet (jsweet@stanfordjazz.org, 650.736.0324x307). Also let Jeanne know if you'd be interested in hosting an Encounter in your home.