The Fred Hughes Trio
Originating in the jazz clubs of Washington, DC, the Fred Hughes Trio has been performing, recording and presenting clinics and workshops since 1989 and brings over four decades of musical experience to the stage. With Fred Hughes on piano, Amy Shook on bass, and Frank Russo on drums, a sampling of the groups performing credentials includes the Elkhart, Rehoboth, Cape May, East Coast, Clifford Brown and Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festivals, the 1996 Summer Olympics and tours to the Republic of Korea in 2001 and 2002. The Trio has performed with such artists as Claudio Roditi, Jon Fedchock, Warren Vache and Larry Coryell and the groups recordings include Out Of The Blue (1996), Live! (1998), No Turning Back (2001), New Day Dawning (2006), In The Mist (2012), Love Letters (2015), I'll Be Home For Christmas (2015), Matrix (2016) as well as the DVD, In Concert (2002), released in the Republic of Korea.
I'll Be Home For Christmas Tour 2017
Following the 2015 critically acclaimed release of I'll Be Home For Christmas, and a successful 2016 Christmas Tour, the Fred Hughes Trio presents: I'll Be Home For Christmas Tour 2017. Pianist Fred Hughes, Bassist Amy Shook and Percussionist Frank Russo bring their brand of holiday cheer to town in what is sure to be a swingin' evening of all your holiday favorites.
Here are some of the reviews from the 2015 CD release: Fred Hughes has been swinging since 1981. He has released many albums of great Jazz and has been a great teacher of Jazz all the while. With “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” Hughes and his trio teaches how to enjoy the holidays, think on the holidays, and do it in a Jazz way. Travis Rogers, JazzTimes Hughes plays each classic with a deep understanding of the jazz tradition and the right touch of elegance, coupled with a rhythm that resonates with a clear sense of time and direction. The trio seems to keep the spirit of Christmas in mind and brings the season alive with jolly greetings in their playing and interaction with one another. One of the many highlights include the stunning piano work on "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." Hughes really displays a command of the keys that is spectacular in his control of harmony and sense of time. Of course, my favorite part is his time sensibility, drive and clarity with each line building, offering clear articulation in a manner that makes musical sentences to create a complete story, outstanding work! Geannine Reid, All About Jazz Here's what one concertgoer from the 2016 Tour was prompted to write on Amazon.com after our performance at Spivey Hall in Morrow, Georgia:
I must have a dozen or more Christmas CD’S: everything from Luciano Pavarotti to Leontine Price to Chanticleer to Emmy Lou Harris to Perry Como. Surely there was nothing else that would be said or played about the season. Then I heard the Fred Hughes Trio in an “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” concert recently and was hooked. The group (Hughes on piano, Amy Shook on bass and Frank Russo on drums) played most of the songs they have recorded on this CD which will have you using superlatives: smooth, soulful, laid-back, mellow, beautiful. While all the eleven selections are excellent, the trio’s arrangement of “Silent Night”—probably the most famous Christmas carol of all time—blew me away. These performers achieve that ensemble quality that comes best from playing together for a long time, as they have. Forrest Corbin, Amazon.com