Jazz pianist Abdiel Iriarte has a packed June schedule

Local jazz pianist and composer Abdiel Iriarte has a June schedule brimming with live shows, unique acts and inspired collaborations with other celebrated Charleston-based musicians.

Iriarte will take the stage at the Charleston Pour House with local Cuban percussionist Gino Castillo and The Cuban Cowboys on June 15 and 29, playing an energetic fusion of traditional Cuban music, improvisational jazz and salsa, including some originals by Castillo. Tickets are $10 at the door.

Jazz enthusiasts can also catch The Cuban Cowboys downtown at Tobin’s Market on Tues., June 8 as part of the venue’s free Clock Out & Rock Out happy hour series.

In another collaboration, he will be with Charleston-based Brazilian guitar player and vocalist Duda Lucena. The two musicians are performing a jazz duet at the Charleston Grill every Wednesday in June starting June 9. Iriarte said listeners can expect to hear some of Lucena’s own compositions: “mostly Brazilian music, and a few American standards played with a Brazilian twist.”

The pianist will join forces with vocalist Heather Rice for a tribute to the early works of Joni Mitchell at the Charleston Music Hall on Sat., June 12. The concert will feature some of Mitchell’s most iconic songs. Iriarte is thrilled to be performing with Rice for the first time.

“We have had some rehearsals — she is a great musician, a great singer,” he said. Tickets are $20 and available from the Charleston Music Hall.

Finishing the month on a high note, Iriate will return for his second year as piano facilitator at the Youth Jazz Orchestra All Stars Camp at the Gaillard Center from June 21 to 25. The project is directed by Grammy-winning local musician and composer Charlton Singleton, of Ranky Tanky, who invited him to join the project for the second year in a row — a role Iriarte is thrilled to reprise.

Middle and high school students will meet for a week to learn from local musicians, experiencing big band sounds while also taking advantage of learning individually from each professor. At the end of the week the campers will put on a performance at the Gaillard Center. “It’s not just a job, it’s a privilege,” Iriarte said. Registration is available through the Gaillard Center.

As things return to post-pandemic normalcy, Iriarte is thrilled to be composing and performing music for the public again. He also serves as an in-house musician and music producer at North Palm Church and as the music director of the South of Broadway Theater Company, two projects that he will continue his work on throughout the upcoming months.

“Music is an art that is meant to be shared with others,” said Iriarte, happily anticipating a summer of doing just that.