Featuring:

Alexander Hawkins - Piano
Neil Charles - Double bass
Harris Eisenstadt - Drums

Critical comparisons to Cecil Taylor might have surprised the youthful 34-year-old pianist Alexander Hawkins, born in Oxford, U.K., but his composition and playing owes a great debt to the free jazz pianist. This debt to Taylor and his cohort is one Hawkins himself seems to have worked especially hard to pay back through his collaborations with free jazz luminaries Joe McPhee and Evan Parker, but also through his work with South African drumming figurehead Louis Maholo-Maholo. Hawkins, who learned to play the church organ and began performing jazz in his teens, has in his trio matched his able piano with the work of bassist Neil Charles, whose collaborators have included the Mingus Big Band, and drummer Tom Skinner, who has had the distinction of working with the revered Mulatu Astatke.

Here’s how to access the Back Stage:

Arriving by car/parking
Please park in P2 in the K, L, M sections. Exit near the Rideau Canal and follow the pink signs that say Back Stage and the helpful staff who will direct you.

Arriving by foot/public transit
We recommend you use the Mackenzie King Bridge entrance. Follow the signs to the NAC entrance then look for the pink signs for Back Stage. Helpful staff will be there to direct you.

Parking for patrons with mobility issues
Please park on P2 in the K, L, M sections and exit near the Rideau Canal. Pink signs and staff will help you get to the Back Stage.
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