Edward Simon

A native of Punta Cardón, Venezuela, Simon moved to New York in 1989 and worked extensively as part of Bobby Watson’s Horizon and the Terence Blanchard Group while doing sideman work with artists including Greg Osby, Bobby Hutcherson, Paquito D’Rivera and Herbie Mann. He co-founded the band Afinidad with saxophonist David Binney that navigated the intersection of modern jazz with Brazilian forms and contemporary classical music, and his desire to explore traditional folk music of his homeland resulted in the formation of Ensemble Venezuela in 2003 and his 2017 Sunnyside trio session Latin American Songbook — a release that won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album. Simon became a member of the SFJAZZ Collective in 2010, and was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship the same year.

Simon’s newest release, 2019’s Solo Live, was recorded at Oakland’s Piedmont Piano Company and highlights the inspiration of Thelonious Monk on his musical path with stimulating versions of “Monk’s Dream” and “Monk’s Mood.”