The Bill Evans Birthday Concert with the Phil Aaron Trio

A TRIBUTE TO BILL EVANS WITH THE PHIL AARON TRIO, FEATURING JAY EPSTEIN AND CHARLIE LINCOLN.

Pianist Phil Aaron is a Chicago native who studied music at the Berklee College of Music and the University of Illinois. After ten years in LA, he moved to Minneapolis in 1989, becoming fully immersed in the local jazz scene, and hosting a long-running trio gig at the Hotel Sofitel. By day, Phil works as a composer of film and television scores winning an Emmy in 2007 for his scoring work on the PBS animated series, “Auto-B-Good.” As a performing jazz artist, Phil has shared the stage with Lee Konitz, Eric Alexander, Jim Rotondi, Jim Snidero, Byron Stripling, Barbara Morrison and Jackie Allen, among others, and has provided piano accompaniment to many local jazz singers and ensembles. An active recording artist as sideman and on five CDs of his own, Phil plays regularly with his own trio, Lucia Newell, the Phil Hey Quartet, Batunde Lea, Joyce Lyons and more. Drawing inspiration from Bill Evans, Cedar Walton, Tommy Flanagan, and Keith Jarrett, he “can swing hard or wax romantic at the keyboard” -Minneapolis Star Tribune

Phil is also an emmy-winning composer and musician based in Minneapolis, MN. As co-owner of Aaron | Stokes Music + Sound, he’s spent the last 20+ years composing for film, television and advertising.

Jay Epstein has put in several decades performing, recording, & touring in this jazz game. After college, he studied polyrhythmic concepts in Manhattan with Barry Altschul, the drummer in Chick Corea’s Circle. He has lived in Hollywood, Oklahoma City, Montana, Miami, Minneapolis, and played in house bands for 5 years on several cruise ship lines. He has also been on 7 European tours with pianists Bill Carrothers & Giacomo Aula and shared a few choruses with Rocky Robbins, Barney Kessel, Roseanna Vitro, Manfredo Fest, Sheila Jordan, Terry Gibbs, Greg Abate, Claudio Roditi, Gary Foster, Eric Alexander, Richie Cole, JoAnne Brackeen, Ernie Watts, Wayne Johnson, Karrin Allyson, Kenny Werner, Howard Levy, Bruce Henry, Toots Thielemans, Avashai Cohen, Bob Dorough, and Sarah Vaughan. His CDs, ‘Long Ago’ & ‘Easy Company’, featuring bassist Anthony Cox and pianist Bill Carrothers, have garnered luminous reviews in the international press. Jay’s current bands include Red Planet, Framework, Firebell, Tall Tales, Andrew Walesch, Sam Miltich, & Tim Sparks. He has endorsed Bosphorus Cymbals since 1997.

Born and raised in Minneapolis, Charlie Lincoln is an in-demand bassist in the Twin Cities. He has performed with international artists including Kris Davis, Dave King, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jerry Bergonzi, and Ned Rothenberg as well as indie acts including Dosh and Dylan Hicks. Charlie has toured in China, Thailand, and Taiwan and has appeared at festivals and clubs across North America. He currently teaches ensembles and private lessons at Walker West Music Academy in Saint Paul. He studied at Berklee College of Music’s Global Jazz Institute and graduated in 2019.