MATT CONNORS
LISTENS TO
JESSICA WILLIAMS
LISTENS TO
JESSICA WILLIAMS
Thursday,
February 19, 2026
6:30
Doors
7pm
Event begins
Limited capacity
with:
Lori Scacco
Adam Tendler
February 19, 2026
6:30
Doors
7pm
Event begins
Limited capacity
with:
Lori Scacco
Adam Tendler
In pursuit of their timbral and percussive potential, the virtuosic jazz pianist Jessica Williams (1948–2022) disassembled many pianos.
Jessica spent the majority of her stage days in San Francisco as the house pianist of the Keystone Korner, the city's top jazz club. She released over 80 albums, performed with countless jazz legends, and is among the most respected jazz pioneers.
When the artist Kye Potter came across a self released tape, with a peeling label that read “Prepared Piano,” he got in touch with Jessica. She sent him more recordings. After Jessica passed away in 2022, Kye played the tapes to the artist Matt Connors, who has been releasing books and records by other artists with his label Pre-Echo Press since 2016. Together, they began making the first album to collect Jessica’s prepared piano pieces.
Jessica spent the majority of her stage days in San Francisco as the house pianist of the Keystone Korner, the city's top jazz club. She released over 80 albums, performed with countless jazz legends, and is among the most respected jazz pioneers.
When the artist Kye Potter came across a self released tape, with a peeling label that read “Prepared Piano,” he got in touch with Jessica. She sent him more recordings. After Jessica passed away in 2022, Kye played the tapes to the artist Matt Connors, who has been releasing books and records by other artists with his label Pre-Echo Press since 2016. Together, they began making the first album to collect Jessica’s prepared piano pieces.
For a brief period between 1985 and 1987, Jessica had experimented with the Cagean technique of inserting screws, bolts, erasers, and other objects between a piano’s strings to alter their tonality, and she brought an entirely new sensibility to it.
Matt released Blue Abstraction: Prepared Piano Project 1985–1987 on LP and cassette in 2025.
For this event, Matt hosts a listening session for Blue Abstraction. He introduces and plays the record but he also invites the pianist Adam Tendler and the composer Lori Scacco to share their own live interpellations and demonstrations throughout the evening.
Matt released Blue Abstraction: Prepared Piano Project 1985–1987 on LP and cassette in 2025.
For this event, Matt hosts a listening session for Blue Abstraction. He introduces and plays the record but he also invites the pianist Adam Tendler and the composer Lori Scacco to share their own live interpellations and demonstrations throughout the evening.
Jessica Williams (1948–2022, USA) was a pioneering trans jazz pianist and composer originally from Baltimore. She was a three-time Grammy Nominee and performed with Philly Joe Jones, Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Tony Williams, Charlie Rouse, Jackie McLean, Roy Haynes, Charlie Haden, and Bobby Hutcherson, among many others.
Matt Connors (b. 1973, USA) is an artist working in abstract painting. Recent solo exhibitions include Goldsmith CCA, London (2024); Ortuzar, New York (2024); Herald St, London (2023); The Modern Institute, Glasgow (2023); MoMA PS1, New York (2012); and Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, (2011). He was awarded the Award of Merit Medal in Painting at the 2024 American Academy of Arts and Letters Awards. He lives in New York and Los Angeles.
Matt Connors (b. 1973, USA) is an artist working in abstract painting. Recent solo exhibitions include Goldsmith CCA, London (2024); Ortuzar, New York (2024); Herald St, London (2023); The Modern Institute, Glasgow (2023); MoMA PS1, New York (2012); and Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, (2011). He was awarded the Award of Merit Medal in Painting at the 2024 American Academy of Arts and Letters Awards. He lives in New York and Los Angeles.
Lori Scacco is a composer and producer. Her work spans the worlds of art, film, classical dance, and performance. Circles, her first solo album in 2004, was written for solo piano and marked a pointed departure from her prior role as co-founder and guitarist of Seely, the first American band on British imprint Too Pure. She went on to release two acclaimed albums built around the synthesizer, Desire Loop (Mysteries of the Deep, 2018) and The Order of Things (Longform Editions, 2021). Lori lives in New York.
Adam Tendler (b. 1982, USA) is a pianist. A pioneer of DIY culture in classical music, he has become one of classical music's most recognized and celebrated artists, receiving Lincoln Center's Emerging Artist Award, the Yvar Mikhashoff Prize, and appearing as soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra, LA Phil, Sydney Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, as well as on the main-stages of Carnegie Hall, the Barbican Centre, Sydney Opera House, BAM, David Geffen Hall, and Walt Disney Concert Hall. His Inheritances album has been nominated for a 2026 GRAMMY® as Best Classical Instrumental Solo. Adam serves on the piano faculty at NYU and lives in New York.
Adam Tendler (b. 1982, USA) is a pianist. A pioneer of DIY culture in classical music, he has become one of classical music's most recognized and celebrated artists, receiving Lincoln Center's Emerging Artist Award, the Yvar Mikhashoff Prize, and appearing as soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra, LA Phil, Sydney Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, as well as on the main-stages of Carnegie Hall, the Barbican Centre, Sydney Opera House, BAM, David Geffen Hall, and Walt Disney Concert Hall. His Inheritances album has been nominated for a 2026 GRAMMY® as Best Classical Instrumental Solo. Adam serves on the piano faculty at NYU and lives in New York.
Due to the age and character of the building, the space is not optimized for ADA accessibility and is located up a single flight of 20 stairs with handrails. If you have questions about access, please contact us in advance of the event, and we will make every effort to accommodate you.
