NYC jazz guitarist Paul Kogut presents selections from his ongoing project of reimagining classic Grateful Dead tunes through new harmonic lenses. He will be joined by violinst & composer Niko Omar Durr performing music by Saariaho and Corigliano.
For the past 25 years, Paul Kogut has been steadily building an international reputation as a jazz guitarist and composer. His latest CD, “Turn of Phrase” features the legendary rhythm section of George Mraz and Lewis Nash. It’s release in August 2012 on the Chicago-based Blujazz label was met with heavy airplay and critical acclaim, with Grammy-winning journalist Neil Tesser saying “Here’s the main thing to know: you won’t hear a better guitar-trio album this year.” Hiro Yamanaka of Jazz Guitar Book Japan calls Paul “a great player with a contemporary style” and The Chicago Tribune says “There's no question that Kogut stands as a serious player with a sophisticated sense of harmony and a penchant for meticulously honed motifs.” Paul has worked with artists Charles Earland, Clark Terry and J.R. Monterose; current appearances put him in the company of George Mraz, Lewis Nash, Drew Gress, Vinnie Sperrazza, Francois Moutin, Ari Hoenig, Kelly Sill, Carlton Holmes, and Sheryl Bailey. In addition he has led his own trio at numerous venues, including Manhattan’s renowned 55 Bar, Chicago’s Jazz Showcase , Nighttown Cleveland, Chris’ Jazz Cafe Philadelphia, Austin's Elephant Room, Porgy & Bess Vienna, Inntone Fest Austria, Brucknerhaus Concert Hall, Cafe Museum Passau, Chingusa Yokohama, Montgomeryland Tokyo, Planet Arts Jazz One2One, and the Red Hook Jazz Festival. He was featured at the Jazz and Colors Fare Thee Well celebration of the Grateful Dead at Chicago’s Field Museum.
Niko Umar Durr (b.1995) is a composer and violinist who has been active in the music/composition community in the San Francisco/Oakland area for 22 years. Living in the Bay Area has offered them many opportunities to learn and hone their skills as a composer.
Niko was a student at The Crowden School and during this time they became a student of composer Molly Axtmann. Soon after Niko joined the inaugural class of the John Adams Young Composers Program and eventually became a student of John Adams himself. Niko has had works performed by Left Coast Chamber Ensemble as well as various faculty and students associated with The Crowden School and Oakland School for the Arts from 2009-2013. Niko was also director of music at Harmonikos, a young composer/performer’s forum organized by fellow Crowden students from 2009-2013.
Niko has performed with Young People’s Symphony Orchestra (YPSO) in Berkeley, CA, Bay Area Rainbow Symphony (BARS), in San Francisco, CA, Berklee Contemporary Symphony Orchestra (BCSO) at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, Oakland Civic Orchestra (OCO), in Oakland CA, and the recently established International Pride Orchestra (IPO) in San Francisco, CA. In 2021, Oakland Civic Orchestra announced Niko as Composer-in-Residence. Since then the community based orchestra has premiered several works including most recently “Zephyr in Gemini” and “Renegade”.