Bethel Arts Presents the Aaron Goldberg Trio — A Tribute to Al Foster

This very special concert is rescheduled from the snowed-out February 8th performance, which was originally to feature the great Al Foster on drums. Since then, Al has sadly passed away. This evening will now be presented in his memory, with his wife Bonnie joining us to honor his remarkable legacy.

A World-Class Lineup

The new trio brings together three extraordinary musicians:

• Aaron Goldberg – acclaimed jazz pianist and composer.
• John Patitucci – Grammy-winning bassist who has performed with Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and more.
• Lenny White – legendary drummer and founding father of jazz fusion, celebrated for his groundbreaking work with Return to Forever alongside Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke, as well as collaborations with icons like Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Gil Evans, Gato Barbieri, and Stan Getz.
  

Together, these artists promise a performance that is both musically exhilarating and deeply heartfelt—a fitting tribute to one of jazz’s most beloved drummers.

Spotlight on Lenny White

We’re thrilled to welcome jazz fusion pioneer Lenny White to Bethel. A self-taught dynamo, White rose to prominence with his electrifying interplay on Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew and later helped shape the sound of jazz fusion in Return to Forever. Over the decades, his artistry has become woven into the very fabric of contemporary jazz.

“He’s one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion,” note jazz writers, “and his playing helped usher in a new era of music that continues to inspire today.”

A Performance with Deeper Meaning

“This performance carries even deeper significance—it will honor the late Al Foster, whose absence is felt across the jazz world,” says Hannah Lipman, Board Director of Bethel Arts. “Al Foster’s wife, Bonnie, will be in attendance, and the evening will stand as a heartfelt tribute to his legacy.”

🎶 This is a must-see for all jazz lovers—and soon-to-be jazz lovers. Expect an unforgettable evening of live music, community, and the very best vibe.

📅 Date: September 13

📍 Venue: Veronica Hagman Concert Hall, Western Connecticut State University

🎟 Tickets: Get tickets here

For background, the article below was originally published ahead of the February 8th concert. We are including it here to provide context and celebrate the artistry and spirit that continue to inspire this rescheduled performance.

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Published 1/7/2025

A great concert can alter the course of someone’s life, says John Patitucci.

“People are changed by live music,” says Patitucci, an elite jazz bassist who has played with an all-star cast of jazz legends including Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, and many more. “Sometimes you have somebody come up to you 20 years after they saw you, and say, ‘This really changed the way I thought about things. This was a real inspiration,’” Patitucci adds. “Or a young musician says, ‘You know, this concert made me want to play music.’ Or ‘This concert gave me the courage to try something different.’"

Patitucci will attempt to do just that when Bethel Arts presents a special performance of the Aaron Goldberg Trio on February 8 at the Visual & Performing Arts Center at Western Connecticut State University. The concert will raise funds for Bethel Arts programs, including a sculpture exhibition being planned for the spring, and will be a unique coming together of three jazz greats: Goldberg, Patitucci and drummer Al Foster, a jazz legend who played with Miles Davis.

“This is a very special edition of my trio,” says Goldberg, an acclaimed pianist and composer. Goldberg has played with both Patitucci and Foster before. Those two musicians have also played with each other without Goldberg, but this will mark the first time the three of them play all together. The musicians themselves are excited about it.

Both Patitucci and Goldberg have an awe and love for Foster’s playing that comes through when they talk about him.

“I've been listening to him since I was a kid,” says Goldberg. “He's one of the great drummers in our music. He's spent years performing with Miles Davis. He also spent a lot of time with McCoy Tyner and Sonny Rollins. Spent a long time with Joe Henderson. He also played with Herbie Hancock. He's the drummer of all my heroes and one of my heroes.”

Because of this, it was a dream come true when Foster asked Goldberg to join his band many years ago. The two played together for more than half a decade in the early 2000s. “We traveled the world together,” Goldberg says. During that time, they got to know each other musically and personally. “He cares about every single note that he plays and that everybody else in the bandstand plays, and he hears every single note that everybody's playing at every moment. It's a transparent kind of feeling on the bandstand that is unlike that of any other drummer that I’ve ever played with.”

Goldberg adds that Foster “makes everybody around him sound better. He brings a certain kind of incomparable and inimitable magic to every bandstand he plays on, which is why he plays with all the masters and why he is a master himself.”

Patitucci called Foster “one of the all-time greatest in the history of jazz music.”

Goldberg is also excited to perform alongside Patitucci. “He's a very powerfully positive spirit. He brings a really intense positivity to everything that he does. He gives the music his all and always makes the whole more than the sum of the parts,” Goldberg says. “He’s the consummate bassist in the sense that he's there to support you. He's there to bring everyone together. And he's also technically phenomenal. His intonation—all the small details of the music are perfect always.” Goldberg adds that Patitucci excels in genres beyond jazz. “He brings that openness and sense of adventure to everything that he does.”

Patitucci is equally impressed with Goldberg.

“I love playing with Aaron, he’s extremely special,” Patitucci says. “He’s one of those guys who has a lot of hands, but he’s got a lot of heart as well—he's a good combination of the two.”

However, this concert is about more than just the power of the performance that night. It’s dedicated to raising funds that will support the mission of Bethel Arts. The funds raised will help sponsor programs supporting visual and performing arts in town from photography classes to play performances and much more.

We're a volunteer board, and anybody that wants to be involved on committees can,” says Hannah Lipman, a board director for Bethel Arts. Lipman encourages artists in all mediums to reach out. “We help artists,” she says.  “We will help them get their name out there. We also will run programs if they want to teach, if they want to speak, or if they want to share their art, they can contact us.”

Bethel Arts regularly sponsors visual and performing arts throughout downtown Bethel at venues such as La Zingara and Greenwood Features. Last summer, they organized Bethel’s participation in Make Music Day on June 21. But the organization is still growing, Lipman says, noting that she and other volunteers are looking forward to offering more programming in 2025.

For his part, Goldberg is impressed with the work that Bethel Arts has done and says he and his fellow musicians are excited to support their programs and that this excitement will be felt during the trio’s show. “When you take good musicians and you invite them to play for a great cause, everybody gets extra inspired—it’s something special to play for a cause you believe in,” he says.

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