Baroque Improvisation for Jazz Musicians with Ben Stolorow and Bryan Bowman

Age: Adult
Event Type: Workshop
Department: Theory and Improvisation
Day: Sun
Instructor: Ben Stolorow, Bryan Bowman
Status: in-person event
Join Ben Stolorow and Bryan Bowman for a unique workshop exploring improvisation techniques rooted in Baroque music and their application to jazz. Drawing connections between historical and modern practices, the session will cover guide tones, figuration, sequences, and rhythmic variation. Participants will gain practical tools for strengthening both structured and spontaneous musical expression.
Fluency with major scales and a basic understanding of voice leading and counterpoint are recommended.
About Ben Stolorow
Bay Area pianist and composer Ben Stolorow is known for his sensitivity, lyricism, and wide-ranging influences, from Bach and Bill Evans to Thelonious Monk and McCoy Tyner. His albums I’ll Be Over Here (2008) and Almost There (2011) balance introspection and intensity, featuring original compositions alongside inventive interpretations of jazz standards. An in-demand performer and Jazzschool faculty member, Ben has appeared at Yoshi’s, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, and SFJAZZ, and has toured Japan. He has performed with Craig Handy, Akira Tana, Danya Stephens, Andrew Speight, Kenny Washington, and many others.
About Bryan Bowman
Bryan Bowman is a jazz drummer, pianist, and composer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Influenced by jazz, world music, and classical traditions, he has performed with Eric Reed, Mary Stallings, Matt Penman, Paul McCandless, Donald “Duck” Bailey, and others. Raised in Los Angeles by a classical pianist father and a cellist mother, Bryan’s early musical exposure included North Indian tabla, Bulgarian and Macedonian folk music, and jazz. He has toured nationally with RCA artists Monica Behan and Deron Johnson, performed internationally, and recorded with Bulgarian accordionist Ivan Milev and Trio Mopmu. Bryan studied at Berklee College of Music, CSU Long Beach, CSU Chico, and the Ali Akbar College of Music, and remains active as a freelance performer and composer throughout the Bay Area.