World-renowned bassist and Michigan State University Director of Jazz Studies, Rodney Whitaker leads a powerhouse ensemble featuring Michael Dease, Randy Napoleon and Rico Jones through the evocative and idiosyncratic repertoire of composer Gregg Hill. This performance celebrates one of the most fruitful partnerships in contemporary jazz — a collaboration that has yielded four critically acclaimed albums, including the latest masterpiece, Mosaic.

Whitaker, an alumnus of the Wynton Marsalis Septet and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, is renowned for his “bear-sized” tone and an uncanny ability to anchor an ensemble with both ferocious swing and melodic grace. In this special concert, Whitaker turns his formidable talents to the music of his longtime friend and associate, Gregg Hill, a composer whose work defies simple categorization. Hill’s music is a vivid sonic map of the Michigan landscape, blending the gritty, soulful grooves of urban Detroit with the expansive, pensive beauty of the rural countryside. Hill’s compositions are celebrated for their “complex melodies and unconventional writing” (DownBeat), providing the perfect canvas for Whitaker’s legendary improvisational prowess.