Humanities by David Ake

Talented pianist David Ake brings an all-star lineup together on his stunningly intense release “Humanities.” Ake's musical concept continues to evolve as his evocative original compositions and arrangements are presented by several of the finest musicians on the scene today. Serious listeners will delight in this captivating program that spotlights Ake playing in the front line alongside trumpet phenomenon Ralph Alessi and the virtuosic surprises of guitarist Ben Monder. It’s a sophisticated game of follow the leader with Ake hanging with the heavy cats while never forgetting to keep it swinging steadily with the underlying support of bassist Drew Gress and percussive metrics of drummer Mark Ferber holding down the rhythm behind him. Prepare to be inspired when pianist David Ake explores the depths of his own personal insights to unlock the hidden possibilities of “Humanities.”

David Ake (pronounced like "lake") is a pianist, composer, and scholar with multiple albums as a leader. Ake is also an award-winning musicologist and educator, and authored two books. He currently is a professor and chair of the Department of Musicology at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music. He holds a Ph.D. in musicology and M.A. in ethnomusicology from UCLA.