New Music Monday for March 15, 2021
When pianists
Chris White and Lara Driscoll perform as the Firm Roots Duo, they draw on profound lines of communication. They’ve developed that bond as spouses and as independent artists with voices of their own. Based in the Chicago area, White and Driscoll met as students at the University of Illinois. They’ve since set aside space in their respective careers to hone and formalize a concept now documented on “Firm Roots,” their duo debut. They interpret canonical jazz works by Horace Silver, Ann Ronell, Cedar Walton and more, drawing on the influences of piano legends on the order of Hank Jones, Art Tatum and Phineas Newborn.