Quiet Fire at Saint Joaquin

Date and Time for this Past Event

• Wednesday, Feb 16, 2022  6:30pm - 10pm

Location

visit website

Details

Join our hosts (music fanatics, DJs, musicians, and of course, hi-fi geeks) as we tell the stories that have shaped our listening experiences and in some cases, our lives. We’ll be presenting pristine recordings of Evans, Gomez, LaFaro, and Motian, performing live and in the studio.

Over the course of his career, Evans won multiple Grammy Awards and reached wide audiences with television and festival appearances, as well as recordings and club dates. He was considered the most important jazz pianist of his generation and was an enormous influence on such younger players as Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Keith Jarrett.

Along with his contemplative melodicism, coloristic sense of harmony, and against-the-odds rhythmic buoyancy, Evans at his best sounded like someone confiding in you through music.

We’re inviting listeners on a voyage exploring a few of our favorite recordings from the Bill Evans discography. Alongside the music, we’ll talk about his career, development, personal life, and struggles. We might even engage in ritualistic adoration (worship?)

As always Saint Joaquin will have a top-flight selection of natural wine and bites available all night. Come early and stay late.

FAQ

What is a listening session?

Listening parties are sensory experiences that are pretty hard to top. A listening session or listening party is a gathering where an album, single, or entire music programme is played and enjoyed contextually, communally, uninterrupted, and in the best sonic detail possible. It’s about bringing back the lost art of deep listening.

How is the event structured?

The evening will start with a conversation about the hi-fi system, the process of finding and collecting vinyl, connecting with history through records, and the significance of deep listening in the current digital age. Then we’ll get into the grooves. We’ll play recordings and chat briefly during the first hour, building up to the focus music. After a short intermission, we’ll play an entire album without interruption in the second hour.

Why is there a no-phone policy?

We want to invite people to slow down and switch off. Events like this exist to remind us to nourish our most starved sense: hearing. Silence is paramount at a listening session. We ask guests to mute their social media pings, and to keep conversations low and to a minimum. Feel free to chat and take as many photos as you’d like during intermission, and at the end of the presentation.