Lafayette Gilchrist & Brian Settles Duo @ Palisades Hub

Doors open 3:30 pm

Concert starts 4:00 pm

Piano and saxophone duets by two of the region's best jazz musicians.

Palisades Hub is located at Palisades Community Church, 5200 Cathedral Ave., NW Washington, DC 20016

Lafayette Gilchrist

Lafayette Gilchrist (born August 3, 1967) is an American jazz pianist and composer. Originally from Washington DC, he has lived in Baltimore since age 17. He has had a long association with saxophonist David Murray, with whom he has toured internationally. Gilchrist leads an octet/nonet named the New Volcanoes and a trio called Inside Out (with bassist Michael Formanek and drummer Eric Kennedy).

An NPR reviewer commented that Gilchrist's "two-handed piano . . . has techno and minimalism behind it. It's not just about the notes; it's also about the waves in which they come, and the troughs in between.” Gilchrist says "I'm always seeking a dialogue between popular rhythms and the improvising process. For me to make personal music, I have to come out of the music I grew up with and love, and that's hip-hop and go-go.”

Lafayette has released 15 albums as leader including his most recent album of solo piano called “Now,” released in 2020.

Brian Settles

Born and raised in Washington, DC, Settles picked up the saxophone in the eighth grade and was immediately enamored. The next year he enrolled in the prestigious Duke Ellington School of the Arts, where he spent the next four years studying with renowned saxophonist and educator Davey Yarborough. During his time at Ellington, Settles began a ten-year mentorship with tenor saxophone legend Stanley Turrentine. This exposure to the life of a veteran performer and recording artist solidified his plans of becoming a jazz musician.

Settles has established himself as a rising force with a long-term artistic vision. He blends the outwardly engaging with the deeply personal, reconciling his intimate command of the jazz lineage with a commitment to his own experimental voice. He performs regularly with some of modern jazz's leading groups, including Tomas Fujiwara and The Hook Up, Michael Formanek's Cheating Heart and Big Band Kolossus, and bands led by Jonathan Finlayson. Settles has also accompanied the likes of Gil Scott-Heron, Jason Moran and Marc Cary. Jazz critic Mike West calls Settles “absolutely heart-stopping on the bandstand … known for his versatility, expressiveness, and dizzying imagination” (Washington City Paper).