Jazz pianist to play at Big Orange cafe

Wanganui residents will groove to a new tune tomorrow evening.
Wanganui's Big Orange cafe in Victoria Avenue is the venue for what is hoped to be a series of live performances by Wanganui-based American Ric Baum.
Mr Baum, an accomplished pianist who studied music at Boston's famous Berklee College, is a jazz aficionado who thrives on live performance. Having begun his professional music career at 17, Mr Baum - who until recently was Wanganui Girls' College head of music - has performed a variety of jazz styles in an illustrious career that has spanned the globe.
Having studied under the influential avant-garde composer Richard Bunger Evans, while maintaining a heartfelt affection for popular songwriting, Baum has a repertoire that appeals to a wide variety of tastes.
He said that as a performer he gets pleasure playing both intellectually challenging and more popular pieces.
Baum hopes this will be the first of many events at the Orange and said that other groups of musicians, with whom he had performed at the Wanganui Musicians' Club, were keen to collaborate.
This Friday, he will performing a variety of jazz numbers alone on the piano.
Though his track list this week may be obscure to jazz virgins, he said it would be accessible to all.
He is keen to use the relaxed atmosphere of the Orange cafe, where the audience will be able to enjoy food and drinks along with the music.
Music will be played from 5-7pm.