Peter Apfelbaum is a musician, composer, and band leader extraordinaire. Born in Berkeley in 1960, he started innovating as a three-year-old when he first picked up a pair of drumsticks, moved on to piano and saxophone in elementary school, and at age 11 formed his first band. In his senior year at Berkeley High, he founded the 17-piece Hieroglyphics Ensemble as a vehicle for exploring non-traditional musical forms. Since then, he’s worked with a staggering array of extraordinary musicians, including a long line of Berkeley greats—Benny Green, Craig Handy, Steve Bernstein, Dave Ellis, Joshua Redman—as well as Lee Konitz, Oliver Lake, Don Cherry, O.J. Ekemode, Dafnis Prieto, Cecil Taylor, Charlie Hunter, the late Levon Helm, Harry Belafonte, and the Grateful Dead. Peter still plays with Trey Anastasio of Phish fame, and makes music with a wide assortment of musicians in countless configurations. “What’s most striking,” says All About Jazz, “is Apfelbaum's genre-mashing ambition as he blends jazz with a host of world music influences to form a powerfully grooving sound that’s utterly benign, even beatific.” He’s joined tonight by drummer Josh Jones.

Natalie Cressman, the daughter of Bay Area trombonist Jeff Cressman and singer Sandy Cressman, is a trombonist, singer, and composer who makes music with a maturity and range of musical influences far beyond her years. As a student at San Francisco High School of the Arts, she played salsa with Edgardo Cambon e Orquesta Candela, Latin jazz with Pete Escovedo’s Latin Jazz Orchestra, world music with Jai Uttal and the Pagan Love Orchestra, Brazilian with Sandy Cressman’s Homenagem Brasileira, and avant-garde jazz with Peter Apfelbaum and the New York Hieroglyphics. While studying at the Manhattan School of Music, she formed her own band, Secret Garden, who joins her tonight for the release of her debut album Unfolding, which received the highest rating in a preview from Indie Music Reviewer Magazine, which praised her beautiful songs and outstanding vocals. From Carnegie Hall to the House of Blues, from Birdland to Lincoln Center, Natalie has been making music that breaks boundaries alongside such luminaries as Carlos Santana, Joe Lovano, Sheila E., Wayne Wallace, and Trey Anastasio.

Peter and Natalie bring together a wealth of musical influences and a depth of musical knowledge that promises a mind-blowing show. 

Visit Peter Apfelbaum's website

Visit Natalie Cressman's website

Listen to a track from Peter Apfelbaum:

Listen to a track from Natalie Cressman:

Natalie Cressman photo by Emma Lauren Soler