Lafayette Gilchrist & the New Volcanoes

Lafayette Gilchrist is an American jazz pianist and composer, originally from Washington DC, but living in Baltimore since age 17. He began playing the piano quite by chance when he happened to enter an unlocked music room in college and sat down at a piano to see what might happen. What happened was quite good. He has played with many great musicians and has had a long association with saxophonist David Murray, with whom he has toured internationally. Lafayette leads an octet/nonet called the New Volcanoes, a smaller ensemble called the Sonic Tripmasters, and a trio called Inside Out (with bassist Michael Formanek and drummer Eric Kennedy).

According to NPR, Lafayette'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.”

Lafayette says "I'm always seeking a dialogue between…