The Jim & Linda Lee Performing Arts Center invites you to share an evening with a leading light of the Windham Hill record label and one of the most distinctive pianists of new instrumental music. Please join us for Liz Story, Saturday March 1, at 7 p.m., on Yavapai College’s Prescott Campus.
With deeply felt, jazz-tinged piano compositions that made her one of Windham Hill’s most beloved acts, Liz will celebrate her 40-plus year career performing titles from her landmark debut album, Solid Colors, along with other hits.
Liz began formal piano study at Hunter College in New York, intent on performing classical music as a career. But a visit to the renowned jazz club, The Bottom Line changed her trajectory. Legendary jazz pianist Bill Evans – the headliner that night – performed with an improvisational flair that inspired the young student. “It was suddenly clear how I was to study music,” she said. She moved to California shortly thereafter, and became a student of jazz.
She decided to improve her sight-reading by playing in restaurants. “The first night I brought a stack of sheet music with me.” But the restaurant’s piano was a broken-down upright with no rack for sheet music. “I was actually too panic-stricken to say I couldn’t do it.” She said. “So I sat down and started to pretend to play the piano.”
After work, she’d go home to record and develop the music she’d improvised at the restaurant. These recordings found their way into the hands of Will Ackerman, founder of the Windham Hill record label. Windham Hill released Liz’s debut album, Solid Colors, in 1983. Liz recorded ten albums between 1983 and 2005 – including seven piano works (Solid Colors, Unaccountable Effect, 17 Seconds to Anywhere); two jazz albums (My Foolish Heart and Liz Story with Joel DiBartolo); and a beloved holiday album, The Gift. During that time, she also wrote or arranged many songs released in Windham Hill collections. In 1988, Liz received a GRAMMY nomination for her song “Reconciliation.”
The J&LLPAC’s March 1 concert marks a triumphant return for Liz. For almost a decade, she performed across the U.S. as a soloist or in Windham Hill ensembles, before suffering a brain hemorrhage onstage in 2019. With the help of a fundraising campaign and the love and support of friends and fans, she completed a lengthy rehabilitation. On August 9, 2022, Liz returned to the concert stage with a 90-minute performance at YC’s Performing Arts Center, where her music was enthusiastically received.
The Jim & Linda Lee Performing Arts Center will be hosting a $15 per-person Champagne Afterglow event immediately following the concert. Join us and raise a glass with Liz!
Tickets for Liz Story start at $39. The Jim & Linda Lee Performing Arts Center is located on the Yavapai College Prescott Campus, 1100 E. Sheldon Street, in Prescott. For reservations or more information, please contact The J&LLPAC Ticket Office, open Tuesday - Wednesday from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.; and Thursday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. For more information, please call: (928) 776-2000 or visit: www.ycpac.com.