Rosemary in Thyme Jazz Series: In Conversation With Eric Stern

The rhythm keeps flowing during Rosemary in Thyme: A Jazz Series featuring students of the Frost School of Music curated by legendary music organization Giant Step. Up next on the lawn is jazz pianist Eric Stern on May 11th from 6-9PM, but before he starts his set, the musician shared more about his background and inspiration.

Introduce yourself and tell us where you are from?

My name is Eric Stern, and I'm from Brooklyn, New York.

How long have you been in college and what is special about South Florida and Frost School of Music?

I have been in college for almost four years now, so actually my graduation is the day after the gig! South Florida is such a special place with Hispanic culture, the weather being amazing, the music, good food and coffee, and many other great attributes to the region.

The Frost School of Music has been an amazing place to begin a career in music, as I have been able to take advantage of countless opportunities both within the school and outside of it in Miami to create a stable and realistic path for myself as a performing musician in the industry. The community at Frost is also really special and I will miss it!

What instrument(s) do you play and how long have you been playing for?

I play the piano, and have played the piano for 18 years (coming up on 19). I started at three, on a toy piano at my parent’s house. The rest is history…

What can we expect from your performance?

You can expect us to bring a high level of intensity and energy, while also exuding the joy and fun that the music brings us the whole time. We are deeply grounded in the acoustic jazz tradition, and we swing hard.

Top 3 musical influences?

Top three only? That has to be Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock, and John Coltrane. But honestly I have too many influences to count.

If you could play with one musician (living or dead) who would that be and why?

I would play with Elvin Jones. I think that would be the most fun thing because he is a very active and interactive player and I love that, so it would be amazing to play with him.