Ellie Rui 瑞 and Aidan Marco, Oberlin Jazz pianist ’25 and long time friend of Ellie’s, have been working very hard the past few months to bring “A Tribute to Jabali (Billy Hart)” to life. After a phone call with Billy Hart and Ethan Iverson, Billy’s pianist and memoirist, and reading Billy’s memoire “Oceans of Time”, Ellie and Aidan have compiled a set list of 5 of Billy’s most influential and career changing pieces. 

Billy Hart is known for his ground breaking multidirectional drumming style, featured on records such as “The Creator Has a Master Plan” by Pharoah Saunders and for his time playing with Jazz pianist, Herbie Hancock. The show also features composers: Shirley Horn, Zbigniew Seifert, and Buck Hill (all important peers/mentors to Billy). In preparation for this concert the Ellie Rui 瑞 ensemble will be attempting to play these pieces as true to the record as they can. They want to do their best to pay tribute to Billy Hart and his sound. This show is not only a tribute written by Ellie Rui 瑞 to her drum teacher, but also a celebration of the career of a living Jazz legend.