Higgins plays farewell performance

Eddie Higgins Provided by A&A

Jazz pianist Eddie Higgins will be giving his last performance in Korea on April 17 and 18 at the Hoam Art Hall in downtown Seoul. Higgins’ last visits to Korea were in 2005 and 2006.
The artist has sold 15,000 copies of his albums in the Korean market, and will release his two-part album, “A Fine Romance & A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening,” here in mid-April.
The 75-year old cited health problems in explaining why this performance will be his last.
Higgins, born in Massachusetts, performed between 1957 and 1969 at the famous jazz club London House in Chicago, where he played with famous jazz musicians such as Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, George Shearing and Stan Getz.
He recorded his first album in 1958, titled “Ed Higgins Trio.” Since then he has made 30 albums. The new album will be his 31st.
Higgins is known for his easy-to-listen-to standard jazz performance style. The musician often plays swing with a melodic touch. His band will include Paul Matthew Keller on bass, Eddie Metz Jr. on drums and Eric Allison on saxophone.
Keller, born in 1962, has played string base since he was 12 and had his first gig in his hometown Grand Rapids, Michigan when he was 16. Currently he is known to be the busiest bass player in Detroit. He also leads a band of 15 musicians called the Paul Keller Orchestra, which performs lesser-known jazz. Keller also jointly runs the Keller/Kocher Quartet.
Metz, whose father was a drummer of a Dixieland band, also began his musical career at the age of 12. In 1982, he studied at the William Patterson College in New Jersey.
Metz, known for his stylish sense and techniques, not only plays for Higgins but has also performed with other jazz musicians, such as Dick Hyman and Scott Hamilton.
He recorded his first album in 1999 under the German label Nagel Heyer. It was a tribute to Dave Tough, a drummer who performed during the 1930s and ’40s.
Allison, born 1951 in Indiana, has been playing saxophone professionally since he was 15. The self-taught player began to take an interest in jazz in middle school.
Allison started performing at clubs in the mid 1970s with Higgins and the New Gene Krupa Orchestra. In 2000, he married the famous jazz singer Cheryl Fisher.
Tickets range from 30,000 won to 90,000 won. Reservations can be made at www.ticketpark.com, www.ticketlink.co.kr or www.clubbalacony.com.
For more information call A&A at (02) 2187-6225.

By Lee Ho-jeong Staff Writer [ojlee82@joongang.co.kr]