Dear Friends,
 
This past week, performing in New York City and Corning, NY, was a week to remember.
 
It all started with a pair of concerts featuring Richie Beirach and Sirius Quartet. It is always a great match and every concert in this combo is a treat for us, as well as the audience. Read and listen to a recap of our work which we performed at the Bonn Jazz Festival in Germany earlier this year. 
 
This was the first time Richie and Sirius performed together in New York — Richie has not even been in the States since 2019. We started out with a thrilling performance in Corning, NY at the beautiful Glass Museum. The next day we performed at Barge Music in New York City, with the Brooklyn Bridge as the backdrop.
 
Two days later I joined Richie and Dave Liebman at the Mezzrow Jazz Club in New York City for their second set, which was an incredible night. You can catch an archival video of the historic show, which had been live streamed.
David Liebman and Richie Beirach – Live at Mezzrow Jazz Club – 05/09/2023

On Monday we celebrated Johnny Almendra’s life at a memorial concert at St. Peter’s church in Manhattan. He was one of the most influential Latin percussionists in New York and played with all the greats, starting with Mongo Santamaia. It was a very memorable occasion. Many great musicians came out and Karen Joseph was able to get the last members of Johnny’s most known band, Los Jovenes del Barrio, together to perform some of his charts.
 
Below is a photo of the string section at various times of the band’s existence. It was an honor to be a part of Johnny’s band. He was a real mentor and great musician, and his influence became integral to my playing and composing music.

Yours,
Gregor

Testaments by Richie Beirach, Gregor Huebner & Veit Huebner

Review by Terrell Holmes for The New York City Jazz Record

Testaments, a three-disc collaboration with pianist Richie Beirach and brothers Gregor and Veit Huebner on violin and bass respectively, is primarily a celebration of Beirach’s 75th birthday last year (this month the pianist turns 76). It is also a chronicle of remembrance, a snapshot of a long-time musical relationship, and a vivacious embrace among old friends. more