Maybeck Recital Hall, also known as Maybeck Studio for Performing Arts, is located inside the Kennedy-Nixon House located at 1537 Euclid Avenue in Berkeley, California, United States. It was built in 1914 by Bernard Maybeck. The hall seats up to 50 people and was designed upon commission for the Nixon family, local arts patrons who wanted a live-in studio for their daughter Milda's piano teacher, Mrs. Alma Kennedy. The room is paneled in unfinished clear-heart redwood, which contributes to an unusually rich and warm, yet bright and clear acoustic quality. There are two grand pianos in the space: a Yamaha S-400, and a Yamaha C7. Maybeck originally designed the space to accommodate an 1898 7-foot Bechstein.
History In 1923, the hall was destroyed in a hillside fire. It was rebuilt quickly by Maybeck.
Milda Nixon lived at the residence until her death in 1981 at the age of 92. Her adopted son, Charles R. Fulweiler, then held the house for several years. In 1987, the house was purchased by jazz pianist Dick Whittington, who opened the hall for public recitals.
Between 1989 and 1995, Concord Records produced 42 solo piano recitals in Maybeck Recital Hall. Each recital featured a different jazz pianist; the series eventually consisted of 42 CD. Concord also recorded 10 jazz duets at Maybeck during the same time period, which the label also released as a series of CDs.
In 1996, the house was purchased by Gregory Moore. The recital hall was no longer open for public concerts, although it was used for private concerts which were attended by invitation only. Since 2013, the newly named Maybeck Studio for the Performing Arts has continued the tradition of public concerts on Sundays at 3pm during their September–June season. The intimate hall seats 40 audience members.
Albums
Live at Maybeck series Volume Artist1: Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume 1Joanne Brackeen2: Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume TwoDave McKenna3: Music of 1937Dick Hyman4: Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume FourWalter Norris5: Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume FiveStanley Cowell6: Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume SixHal Galper7: Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume SevenJohn Hicks8: Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume EightGerald Wiggins9: Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume NineMarian McPartland10: Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume TenKenny Barron11: Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume ElevenRoger Kellaway12: Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume TwelveBarry Harris13: Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume ThirteenSteve Kuhn14: Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume FourteenAlan Broadbent15: Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume FifteenBuddy Montgomery16: Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume SixteenHank Jones17: Jaki Byard at MaybeckJaki Byard18: Mike Wofford at MaybeckMike Wofford19: Richie Beirach at MaybeckRichie Beirach20: Jim McNeely at MaybeckJim McNeely21 Jessica Williams at MaybeckJessica Williams22: Ellis Larkins at MaybeckEllis Larkins23: Gene Harris at MaybeckGene Harris24: Adam Makowicz at MaybeckAdam Makowicz25: Cedar Walton at MaybeckCedar Walton26: Bill Mays at MaybeckBill Mays27: Denny Zeitlin at MaybeckDenny Zeitlin28: Andy LaVerne at MaybeckAndy LaVerne29: John Campbell at MaybeckJohn Campbell30: Ralph Sutton at MaybeckRalph Sutton31: Fred Hersch at MaybeckFred Hersch32: Maybeck Recital Hall Series, Volume Thirty-TwoRoland Hanna33: Don Friedman at MaybeckDon Friedman34: Kenny Werner at MaybeckKenny Werner35: George Cables at MaybeckGeorge Cables36: Toshiko Akiyoshi at MaybeckToshiko Akiyoshi37: John Colianni at MaybeckJohn Colianni38: Ted Rosenthal at MaybeckTed Rosenthal39: Kenny Drew Jr. at MaybeckKenny Drew Jr.40: Monty Alexander at MaybeckMonty Alexander41: Allen Farnham at MaybeckAllen Farnham42: James Williams at MaybeckJames Williams
Concord Duo series Roger Kellaway & Red Mitchell Dave McKenna & Gray Sargent Ken Peplowski & Howard Alden Alan Broadbent & Gary Foster Adam Makowicz & George Mraz Ralph Sutton & Dick Hyman Bill Mays & Ed Bickert Denny Zeitlin & David Friesen Michael Moore & Bill Charlap Chris Potter & Kenny Werner: Concord Duo Series Volume Ten
External links Homepage The Maybeck Recital Hall Piano Series: An Oral History