Holland & Coots
Brian Holland, piano
Danny Coots, drums
Saturday, October 30, 2021 at 4:00 pm
Ticket: $50

The Grammy award-winning duo of Holland & Coots takes us on an exhilarating ride exploring the legacy of American music. Featuring jazz, blues, spirituals, ragtime, stride, boogie, and pop, pianist Brian Holland and drummer Danny Coots revel in the American sound and its evolution with a finger-snapping, toe-tapping program. Works by Scott Joplin, Joseph Lamb, Jelly Roll Morton, Willie “The Lion” Smith, James P. Johnson, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Fats Waller, Lennon and McCartney, Elton John, and Abdullah Ibrahim create an unforgettable afternoon celebrating our country’s musical and cultural melting pot.

Holland and Coots take you on a musical journey that radiates joyful ebullience one moment and wistful lyricism the next.
Bryan Wright, Rivermont Records

[They] should come with seat belts and a warning about excessive amounts of white-knuckle, adrenaline-charged, exuberant effervescence!
Tony Caramia, Eastman School of Music

Brian Holland's lightning-fast left hand. . .his right hand skitters up and down the keyboard. . . the energy and dexterity are narcotic.
The New York Sun

“Scram!” composed by Brian Holland; performed by Holland and Coots

Brian Holland

Brian Holland, internationally renowned pianist, composer, recording artist, and entertainer, has enjoyed a music career spanning more than 35 years. After spending his formative years playing in clubs throughout Indiana, Brian's career flourished when he discovered the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest. In 1999, he won his third title and was retired as "undefeated."

Brian has played with some of the hottest jazz bands in the US—Holland-Coots Jazz Quintet, Titan Hot Seven, Wally's Warehouse Waifs, Holland Rhythm Company, B.A.D. Rhythm. He has traveled all over the world performing his creative styles of jazz, ragtime, stride, swing, boogie, and blues.

With multiple solo and ensemble recordings to his credit, Brian garnered a Grammy nomination for his work with Bud Dresser on their album, "Ragtime-Goodtime-Jazz." ​Brian serves as Artistic Director of the Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival and Co-Artistic Consultant for the Monterey Jazz Bash by the Bay.

Danny Coots

It was 1964 in upstate New York when Danny Coots began playing drums at the tender age of 6 years old. From there, he went on to study percussion with Nick Baffaro, Rich Holly, Alan Koffman and Jim Petercsak. Attending Crane School of Music and St. Lawrence University, Danny eventually served on the music faculty at St. Lawrence, Clarkson, and Potsdam State Universities. He continued traveling and performing in more than 100 countries with such musical luminaries as David Amram, Ray Shiner, Daniel Pinkham, Herb Ellis, Will Alger, Jack Mayhue, Speigle Wilcox, Mimi Hines, Phil Ford, Bob Darch, Pearl Kaufman and Arthur Duncan.  Danny has recorded extensively in Nashville, New York and L.A. and has appeared and has played on more than 100 recordings, one of which won a Grammy in 2005. In 1996, Danny moved to Nashville where he joined the Jack Daniel’s Silver Cornet Band and helped found The Titan Hot Seven. He has played and recorded with such musical powerhouses as Dick Hyman, Rebecca Kilgore, Vince Giordano, as well as Bucky and John Pizzarelli—to name a few.