Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
Tonight at 8:00, pianist Mark Loria ’08 will perform his junior recital, which will be comprised of jazz works by Bill Evans, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and others, along with original compositions. Loria will be joined by Caleb Ward ’07 on tenor sax, Dan Perelstein ’09 on bass, and guest artist Jim Miller on drums.
Loria describes the repertoire, which (except for the original compositions) dates from the last half of the twentieth century, as “adventerous.” The first half of the concert will consist entirely of music for piano alone and Ward, Perelstein, and Miller will join him after intermission.
Perelstein, Ward, and Loria have been performing together for a year now, and “have managed to coalesce into a group,” Loria said in an interview. “The addition of Jim has certainly helped things a lot.” The quartet played together at Ward’s senior honors recital last fall, which consisted of a different, mostly earlier repertoire. “It’s a great opportunity to explore different kinds of repertory.”
Loria cites Chick Corea’s “Quartet No. 1” as a piece on the program of particular importance to him. “Chick has been such a huge influence on my playing over the past six or seven years. His particular compositional style, I think, has the greatest impact on both my improvising and my jazz composition.”
Loria has studied jazz piano with Cliff Korman at the Manhattan School of Music since his senior year in high school. “He’s a big Brazilian jazz guy… I’ve included some Brazilian repertoire.” He also studies classical piano with Marcantonio Barone. “I started on classical piano, it was always present for me in some form… the two [jazz and classical piano] inform each other…. The classical repertoire has increased the pure control I have over the instrument.”
Loria began planning the recital last semester, choosing repertoire over winter break and posing the idea to his fellow musicians early this semester, integrating their suggestions of repertoire as well. This is the first of two recitals Loria will perform; his senior recital will consist of classical repertoire, including George Crumb’s “Eine Kleine Mitternachtmusik” and possibly some early Ligeti.