Casey Lakritz, piano/keyboard player extraordinaire, hosted a jazz band, which included Luther Wong on trumpet, Jeff Biegel on bass and Harrison Keithline on drums at the New School on April 10th in NYC to a packed house. The group played seven original works composed by Casey Lakrtiz. The evening, “Jazz Impressionism,” included original oil on canvas artwork by Jill S. Krutick. At the event, the painting Jazz Impression was debuted. The painting was created while listening to the original composition by Casey Lakritz. During the concert, a group of hand selected images were projected and timed to the music. The feeling of the music could be “seen” in the paintings presented. It was a very special evening!

Casey Lakritz Bio:

Born with a visual impairment, Casey Lakritz grew up learning music by ear. His first piano lesson began with a single note and a simple instruction, “starting on C, figure out the melody to Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” This frame of learning was incredibly influential in Casey’s ability  to grow as a musician.

After a brief period studying business at New York University, Casey was commissioned to compose an original piece for a modern dance performance. In the spring of 2010, Perut, a three movement Sonata for Piano, Violin, and Cello was debuted to sold out shows at the 14th street Y Performance Hall. This sonata redirected Casey’s focus toward composition. He was accepted into the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music as a transfer student three weeks later.  After 4 years of various musical ventures in genres ranging from punk rock to hip hop to alt rock to jazz, Casey found a group of like-minded musicians to help experiment with new sonic landscapes. This ensemble, The New Quartet, is a culmination of musical maturity during his years at the New School and serves as a launching board into future harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic exploration.

JAZZ IMPRESSION, 2013  Oil on canvas, 36 x 36 inches (91.4 x 91.4 cm).