Pianist Dennis Lambert, a 38-year-old Brownwood native, is performing in his hometown for the first time in six years and first time ever at the Lyric Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 29.
Lambert now resides in Tokyo and has for the past 10 years after serving for 8 years as a member of the United States Air Force Band of Pacific-Asia.
“It’s been so long, six years,” Lambert said. “I wanted to come back about four years ago but I couldn’t because of COVID. It feels nice to be back in my hometown and I haven’t performed at the Lyric, it’ll be my first time.”
Lambert said of his Saturday night performance, “This is going to be a classic jazz piano trio setting with a piano, bass and drums. The music will feature some of my arrangements, my originals, and hopefully some songs some people will recognize. There will be something they hear that’s new, whether it’s original music or music not heard as much here in Brownwood, so go check it out.”
Lambert’s musical roots go back to kindergarten, and actually began as a form of punishment by his parents – Esther and David, who has since passed away. Lambert’s siblings Andrew and Griselda still live in the area.
“I started playing when I was 5, and it’s a funny story because at first my parents punished me and made me practice for 30 minutes,” he said with a laugh. “After a while they noticed I was practicing longer on my own so they knew I started liking it, and I’ve kept it going for 33 years with no breaks really.”
Lambert was a member of the Mighty Maroon Marching Band at Brownwood High, where he also played trumpet, before graduating in 2003. Lambert then moved on to Howard Payne and earned a degree in 2008, but during that time he was introduced to the military.
“I decided to go to college at Howard Payne and I auditioned for the Air Force band,” Lambert said. “There was a position open and the dean at the time said I should check it out. I got the audition and the spot and a year later I went into basic training. I hadn’t finish my degree yet, so the first year while I was doing that I was still in school technically, just online. That brought me to San Antonio and then Tokyo where I’m at now.”
After serving for four years in Japan, Lambert has called Tokyo home for six additional years after his discharge.
“You move every 2-3 years in the military, it’s rare for you to stick around long in the same location,” Lambert said. “I never had plans to go to Tokyo, but I went over there and loved it and I’ve been there ever since. They really appreciate the arts, this kind of music especially. There’s a lot of work and admiration for this type of music. It was brought over there after World War II and it has stayed in the culture. The older people there reminisce about Glen Miller and some of the older music. The people love it, I love playing it, and there’s a lot of work. That’s one of the reasons. And I love their food.”
Lambert has released seven albums so far with two more on the way – one solo and one group project he hopes will be available by the end of the year.
As for additional goals, Lambert said, “I’m always writing music, always trying to hone my craft writing and playing. I also want to play internationally. I’ve been to quite a few countries but I want to do more of that. I’ll be going to Thailand later this year and maybe Croatia.”
As for being back in Brownwood, he said. “It’s a nice reunion and everyone’s gotten so much taller. It’s been six or seven years so the kids in the family then were 3, 4 and 9. They’re all staying busy with baseball, soccer, and work.”
Tickets for Lambert’s Saturday night show are $25 and can be purchased online at brownwoodlyrictheatre.com. For more information about Lambert, visit his website at www.dennislambertpianist.com.
