In the mid-1980s, then-teenagers Michael and Rob Silverman, were captivated by music, especially jazz. The Jewish brothers used to sit on the steps leading to the lower level of Cicero’s Restaurant in the University City Loop. They were too young to go downstairs to Cicero’s Basement Bar. The stairs allowed them to hear the innovative jazz sounds emanating from the lower level. The artist they especially loved listening to was pianist Ptah Williams.
Forty years later, the Silverman brothers will play alongside Williams on Sunday, Sept. 15 at Music At The Intersection in Grand Center. And on Saturday evening, Sept. 28, they’ll play a set just before him at the 2024 Clayton Jazz Festival. Their jazz fusion group Bach To The Future will take the stage at the Clayton festival along with their frequent collaborator Tracy Silverman.
Michael Silverman, 53, who plays keyboard, said he has a special affinity for low-key, neighborhood music events like the Clayton Jazz Festival.
“I really like festivals that are focused around one stage, where everyone is all at the same party, enjoying the same musical energy,” Silverman said. “That big one-stage party feel is so much simpler logistically. That’s one of the reasons we do it. All the sets are fairly short, so you will hear lots of music.
“Music styles cross over, too,” he said. “Classical meets rock, classical meets jazz, and there are all those kind of fun, eclectic things. When young people hear it, I get really excited, because that’s the kind of music that excited my imagination when I was younger.”
Michael Silverman is a University City High School 2023 Hall of Fame inductee. He is one of the most downloaded solo pianists in the world, with 6 billion downloads. His brother Rob is a master of percussion. Their Bach To The Future is a genre-bending group that combines Bach, Beethoven and Mozart with modern jazz, African and Latin rhythms. It’s a style that attracts attention, as do the unusual instruments they use when performing, like a Drum-itar, which looks like a futuristic guitar and triggers drum sounds.
“We have strange instruments that most people haven’t seen, like the electric violin with six strings, electronic percussion, and synthesizers,” Silverman said. “Some of them are one of a kind so it’s really fun for us to play this music with these instruments.”
The casual vibe of the Clayton Jazz Festival also lends itself to artists interacting with music fans after their set, Silverman said. It’s not uncommon for young music fans to come up to them and check out their instruments after a set.
“It happens at most of our concerts,” Silverman said. “We always let them try playing our instruments. That’s really fun for us. And when we travel around the country, we’ll do pre-show performances and clinics for schools, and let the kids try out the instruments.”
Tickets for Music At The Intersection can be purchased from Metrotix. Admission is free for The Clayton Jazz Festival. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. The festival runs from 5 to 10 p.m. at N. Brentwood Blvd. between Forsyth and Maryland avenues.
