BRATTLEBORO- On Saturday, January 19, at 8 pm, the Vermont Jazz Center will present a concert led by Grégoire Maret, one of the greatest jazz chromatic harmonica players in the world. A dedicated collaborator, Maret is an A-list musician who can be found on recordings by Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Cassandra Wilson, David Sanborn, Carlos “Patato” Valdes, Charlie Hunter, George Benson, Jacky Terrasson, Marcus Miller, Meshell Ndegeocello, Lionel Loueke, and many, many others. He will be performing with his working quartet, a band that includes his long-standing collaborator/pianist Federico Gonzalez Peña, Ben Williams on bass (winner of the 2009 Thelonious Monk Competition), and Clarence Penn on drums.

Maret’s music is completely distinct from traditional jazz, but its roots are steeped in the lineage because Maret grew up performing blues and older jazz styles. His exposure was initially nurtured by his father (a professional jazz musician) and many other mentors, including harmonica master, Toots Thielemans, who took Maret under his wing when Maret was 17 years old.

Maret also holds a degree in jazz studies from the New School. Maret’s music is influenced by the various rhythms and songs he has heard on his journeys around the world; it is also affected by the open, expansive approach with which he views the world. His music goes beyond the jazz of his father and Toots Thielemans. It absorbs and embraces world-music as well as the modern elements of his collaborators and teachers. Maret has chosen to follow his own path.

Come enjoy a show that will demonstrate what is new in jazz today, experience an evening of inventive yet highly listenable compositions performed by young musicians of the highest caliber.

Grégoire Maret at the Vermont Jazz Center is made possible with generous financial support from William Schutt, of Matcor Inc., as well as ongoing support of the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, The Hampton Inn of Brattleboro, VPR, and WFCR.

Tickets are $20 for general admission, and $15 for students with ID (contact VJC about educational discounts). Tickets are available at In the Moment Record Store in Brattleboro, online at www.vtjazz.org or they can be reserved by calling the Vermont Jazz Center ticket line at (802) 254-9088, ext. 1.