Accomplished pianist, Tom Lawton, and his sextet will be making an appearance at Bucks on April 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the Zlock Performing Arts Center with their inspiration sprouting from the artwork of Man Ray.
Lawton said, “I was jointly commissioned by the Philadelphia Jazz Project and the Philadelphia Museum of Art to compose a suite inspired by the visual art of Man Ray. This was premiered at the Philadelphia Art Museum this past November and the BC3 concert will be the second public performance”.
Lawton described his style as “eclectic” with the music but more “avant-garde” in his writing. He does many swing gigs, but has roots in the tradition of jazz. He has been on the Philadelphia jazz scene for about 40 years.
Lawton is often chosen to play at social functions for the Philadelphia Orchestra.
He has played at Bucks numerous times as well as performing in New York City with the Odean Pope Quartet, in the past.
Lawton has even played around the world in places such as Paris, Zurich, Milan, and Finland.
Lawton has taught at Bucks for over 30 years in addition to teaching at Temple University and The University of the Arts.
In the last two decades, writing has become a key component for Lawton.
He received a composition grant from the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts to assist him with his double CD of original music called “Retrospective/Debut on Dreamboxmedia.”
Lawton has also received a composition grant from the American Composers Forum to write a jazz suite called “Seven Vignettes from Broad and Lombard”.
Lawton researched Man Ray in order to prepare for the upcoming concert and discovered that Man Ray was also a very eclectic musician.
Richard Gabriele, from the Bucks art department, will have displays set up in the lobby about Man Ray. A slideshow of his images will be projected during the performance, as well.
For Lawton, music is much more than just a career. “It’s all a labor of love,” he explains. “Tons of hard work but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”