TED KURLAND ASSOCIATES
Discover the Art of Excellence
2014-2015
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TED KURLAND ASSOCIATES
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Jon Anderson Terence Blanchard Rory Block Dee Dee Bridgewater Gary Burton Ann Hampton Callaway James Carter Bill Charlap Jeff Coffin Ravi Coltrane Chick Corea Béla Fleck Roy Haynes Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra w/ Wynton Marsalis Stacey Kent Angelique Kidjo Julian Lage Ute Lemper Ramsey Lewis Harold López-Nussa Delfeayo Marsalis Ellis Marsalis Christian McBride Del McCoury John McLaughlin Cécile McLorin Salvant Pat Metheny Jane Monheit Danilo Pérez Madeleine Peyroux John Pizzarelli POEMJAZZ: Robert Pinsky & Laurence Hobgood Red Baraat Sonny Rollins Poncho Sanchez Arturo Sandoval Maria Schneider The Soul Rebels
JON ANDERSON Best known as the lead singer/songwriter of the legendary supergroup, Yes, JON ANDERSON is also an accomplished solo artist and composer. Anderson’s innovative solo music career has placed him prominently in center stage, but Jon has also teamed up with other superstars Vangelis, Kitaro, Rick Wakeman and Mike Oldfield. Jon’s solo show includes many classic songs from all across the Yes songbook & his own eclectic solo work. “Former Yes frontman Jon Anderson packs stories and serenades into one career-spanning flashback.” ⑈ SOOT MAGAZINE
TERENCE BLANCHARD Early on, TERENCE BLANCHARD made a name for himself as a toptier jazz trumpeter from New Orleans and has since gone on to enjoy a multifaceted career both in the jazz camp and beyond. He’s not only a five-time Grammy Award winner, but he’s also a renowned film-score and soundtrack composer (most recently for George Lucas). For the stage, he created the score for the Emily Manndirected revival of Tennessee Williams’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play A Streetcar Named Desire and an opera commissioned by Opera St. Louis (with librettist Michael Cristofer). Blanchard is the artistic director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s jazz series as well as for the Henry Mancini Institute and for a decade served as the artistic director of the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. His latest album for Blue Note is the compellingly titled, Magnetic. “Magnetic is the sound of jazz growing in meaningful ways.” ⑈ STEREOPHILE
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RORY BLOCK Heralded as “a living landmark” (Berkeley Express), “a national treasure” (Guitar Extra), and “one of the greatest living acoustic blues artists” (Blues Revue), RORY BLOCK has committed her life and her career to preserving the Delta blues tradition and bringing it to life for 21st century audiences around the world. A traditionalist and an innovator at the same time, she wields a fiery and haunting guitar and a vocal style that redefines the boundaries of acoustic blues and folk. After more than twenty highly acclaimed releases and five Blues Music Awards, Block is at the absolute height of her creative powers, bringing a world full of life lessons to bear on what she calls “a total celebration of my beloved instrument and best friend, the guitar.” “If you like music steeped in tradition and genuine feeling, this is your woman.” ⑈ PEOPLE MAGAZINE
DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER Over her multifaceted career, Grammy and Tony Award-winning jazz diva DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER has risen to the top tier of vocalists, putting her own unique spin on standards and taking intrepid leaps of faith in re-envisioning jazz classics while bridging musical genres. The legendary Thad Jones/Mel Louis Big Band was her first professional gig, and throughout the 1970s she performed with jazz notables the likes of Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, and Dizzy Gillespie. Nominated for seven Grammys, Bridgewater has won three, most recently, in 2011, for her Billie Holiday tribute album. She is the first American inducted to the Haut Conseil de la Francophonie and received France’s prestigious Award of Arts and Letters. She won the 1975 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her work in The Wiz. This Fall, Dee Dee returns to the stage starring in the Off-Broadway musical, Lady Day, as the late, legendary jazz artist, Billie Holiday. “Her understanding of The Great American Songbook makes pretenders pale in comparison…and the audience adores her.” ⑈ GUARDIAN [UK]
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GARY BURTON Since his acclaimed Generations albums earlier this decade, GARY BURTON has focused his recording and performing efforts on collaborations with old friends and new, including Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Makoto Ozone, Spanish pianist/composer Polo Orti, and French accordionist Richard Galliano. The Armistad Suite with Polo Orti and the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra was released in spring 2007. The New Crystal Silence, a double-CD live concert recording with Chick Corea and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, resulted in another award at the 2009 Grammys. Over his career, Burton has been nominated 15 times, winning 7 Grammys in total. Gary’s New Quartet features Antonio Sanchez on drums, Scott Colley on bass, and Julian Lage on guitar. Their latest Mack Avenue release is called Guided Tour. Gary’s autobiography, Learning To Listen, will be published this Fall and has been cited as “one of the most personal and insightful jazz books ever written.” “Whatever they’re playing, Burton’s group addresses it with vibrancy, subtle power and—most important—discernible enjoyment of each other’s playing.” ⑈ LONDON JAZZ NEWS
ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY A leading champion of The Great American Songbook, ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY has made her mark as a singer, pianist, composer, lyricist, arranger, actress, educator, TV host, and producer. Her unique way of blending jazz and traditional pop makes her a mainstay in concert halls, theaters, and clubs, as well as on television and in film. Tony nominated for her performance in the Broadway hit Swing!, she is also a Platinum Award-winning songwriter with her songs gracing six of Barbra Streisand’s recent CDs. She has also written songs with Carole King, Rolf Lovland, Barbara Carroll, and is the only composer to have collaborated with Cole Porter. For 2014, Ann’s latest project will be a celebration of the music of Sarah Vaughan entitled, The Sarah Vaughan Project. “Her understanding of The Great American Songbook makes pretenders pale in comparison…and the audience adores her.” ⑈ GUARDIAN [UK]
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JAMES CARTER JAMES CARTER, long intrigued by contrasts and hybrids, resists
comfortable categorization. Born and raised in Detroit, Carter grew up surrounded by music, soaking up everything from funk and fusion to rock, soul, and various strains of acoustic jazz. Carter has reinvented the organ combo. With his virtuosic saxophone chops, Carter elevates the organ combo to a rarefied realm defined by delectable soul, a gourmet repertoire, and consistently inspired group interplay. His latest features the lithe and muscular keyboard work of Detroit’s rising B3 star Gerard Gibbs, with the propulsive drum support of veteran Motor City master Leonard King Jr. “Carter’s ease with swing, bop and avant-garde styles also gave notice that a staggeringly inclusive figure—the apotheosis of the postmodern jazzman—was now among us.” ⑈ THE WASHINGTON POST
BILL CHARLAP One of the world’s premier jazz pianists, BILL CHARLAP has performed and recorded with many leading artists of our time, ranging from jazz masters Phil Woods and Wynton Marsalis, to singers Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand. His Bill Charlap Trio is now recognized as one of the leading groups in jazz. Charlap is the artistic director of New York City’s Jazz in July Festival at the 92nd Street Y, and he has produced concerts for Jazz at Lincoln Center, the JVC Jazz Festival, and the Hollywood Bowl. A two-time Grammy nominee, Charlap is married to renowned jazz pianist Renee Rosnes, and together they released the gorgeous duo piano recording Double Portrait on the Blue Note label. “...his approach to The Great American Songbook is never less than dazzling.” ⑈ BBC
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JEFF COFFIN The Mu’tet is led by JEFF COFFIN, saxophonist from Dave Matthews Band. Also a composer, educator, and 3x Grammy winner, you likely know Jeff from his 14 years with the genre-defying Béla Fleck & the Flecktones (1997-2010). The Mu’tet takes its name from the word ‘mutation’, reflecting Jeff’s idea that music must continue to change and mutate in order to grow. Coffin strives to expand himself, his band mates and listeners, with music flavored by his wide musical interests. Drawing from the deep wells of African, New Orleans, Indian, funk, jazz, folk, Gypsy, rock, fusion, Brazilian and other styles of music, Coffin sends shockwaves down people’s spines with his fierce soloing and inspiring, memorable compositions. The Mu’tet is Roy “Futureman” Wooten on drums, Felix Pastorius on electric bass, Bill Fanning on trumpet and space trumpet, and Chris Walters on keyboards. “…equal parts Galactic and Dirty Dozen Brass Band.” ⑈ JAZZTIMES
RAVI COLTRANE RAVI COLTRANE is at the forefront of the restless few who are carving up
new paths in jazz. DownBeat called him, “A modernist who has absorbed a wealth of jazz [and] those influences are couched so well, resulting in a unique sound, best described as ‘elusive beauty.’” Passionately committed to the value of “working bands,” Ravi pulls together likeminded individuals who can contribute to the group, moving their repertoire forward with original compositions and fresh takes on jazz standards. The Grammy-nominated Saxophonist recently debuted his album Spirit Fiction on the Blue Note Label to critical acclaim. “…powerful music, but not full of its own glory. It resisted premade frames and made its own.” ⑈ THE NEW YORK TIMES
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CHICK COREA CHICK COREA is the fourth most-nominated artist in the history of
the Grammys, with 61 nominations. He’s also earned 3 Latin Grammy Awards, the most of any artist in the Best Instrumental Album category. From straight-ahead to avant-garde, bebop to fusion, children’s songs to chamber music, along with some far-reaching forays into symphonic works, Chick has touched an astonishing number of musical bases in his illustrious career while maintaining a standard of excellence that is awe-inspiring. A tirelessly creative spirit, Chick continues to forge ahead, continually reinventing himself in the process. “His career is among the most kaleidoscopic in jazz.” ⑈ THE NEW YORK TIMES
BÉLA FLECK BÉLA FLECK, the world’s preeminent banjo player with 14 Grammy
wins has garnered a reputation for genre-bending, exemplified by his collaborations with a tabla player, an African thumb pianist, and a traditional bluegrass band. Since forming in 1988, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones were famed for a non-stop touring schedule, reaching more than 500,000 audience members yearly. Already a powerfully creative force in bluegrass, jazz, pop, rock and world beat, Béla made the classical connection with Perpetual Motion, his critically acclaimed recording that went on to win a pair of Grammys, including Best Classical Crossover Album, in the 44th annual Grammy Awards. For those keeping records, Fleck has been nominated in more different categories than anyone in Grammy history. Recently Béla has been performing duets with his wife, Abigail Washburn, touring The Enchantment duets with Chick Corea and sitting in with the Brooklyn, NY-based string quartet, Brooklyn Rider. “Béla Anton Leoš Fleck — named after Hungarian composer Béla Bartók — is like no other banjoist who’s ever walked this Earth.” ⑈ JAZZTIMES
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ROY HAYNES ROY HAYNES is true Jazz royalty. For over 50 years Roy Haynes has been a prime mover, shaker, and innovator, shaping some of the greatest recordings in jazz with his joyous drumming. With the true legends, Haynes altered the very fabric and direction of jazz improvisation. Louis Armstrong. Lester Young. Charlie Parker. Thelonius Monk. Sarah Vaughn. Miles Davis. John Coltrane. Dizzy Gillespie. Bud Powell. Ella Fitzgerald. Stan Getz. Chick Corea. Pat Metheny. The Allman Brothers. The list goes on and on as does Roy’s unflagging energy and marvelous invention, for which he was given a Lifetime Achievement Grammy. He and his FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH band have been together for nearly a decade and their communication with each other borders on the telepathic. And, as if that’s not enough Smithsonian Magazine hailed him as “The World’s Greatest Drummer.” “One of the most accurate ways to understand jazz these days is through Roy Haynes’s cymbal beat...It was mesmerizing, affirmative, flexible and incredibly artful.” ⑈ THE NEW YORK TIMES
JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA w/ WYNTON MARSALIS THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA (JLCO), comprising 15
of the finest jazz soloists and ensemble players today, has been the Jazz at Lincoln Center resident orchestra since 1988. Featured in all aspects of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s programming, this remarkably versatile orchestra performs and leads educational events in New York, across the U.S. and around the globe; in concert halls, dance venues, jazz clubs, public parks; and with symphony orchestras, ballet troupes, local students and an ever-expanding roster of guest artists. Going on tour next season is Wynton’s spectacular Abyssinian Mass with a full resplendent Gospel choir performing the score alongside the JLCO. The Orchestra’s December 2014 “Holiday” program was created by Wynton specially around jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant. “The finest big band in the world today.” ⑈ DAILY TELEGRAPH [UK]
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STACEY KENT STACEY KENT now rides high as one of the world’s foremost jazz
singers. She has now released eight best-selling albums, including Breakfast On The Morning Tram, a Grammy-nominated album awarded Platinum status in France. Her career also holds a slew of gold records, a string of awards, including the 2001 British Jazz Award, the 2002 BBC Jazz Award for ‘Best Vocalist,’ the 2004 Backstage Bistro Award for best live performance, the 2006 “Album of the Year” Award for her work on The Lyric, and France’s prestigious Chevalier Dans L’ordre Des Arts Et Des Lettres in 2009. With her latest album, The Changing Lights, her second collaboration with famed novelist Kazuo Ishiguro, Kent reaches new heights of calm, intensity and clarity in her vocal art that distinguishes her from many of her contemporaries. “Her voice is like a fresh, invigorating breeze blowing in from the surf.” ⑈ THE VILLAGE VOICE
ANGELIQUE KIDJO Born in Benin (West Africa), ANGELIQUE KIDJO is a Grammy Awardwinning music recording artist deemed “Africa’s premier diva” by Time Magazine. Kidjo’s internationally acclaimed repertoire includes collaborations with various recording artists such as Carlos Santana, Peter Gabriel, Alicia Keys, Josh Groban, Branford Marsalis, Joss Stone, and many more. After Miriam Makeba, Kidjo is the continent’s most internationally celebrated female musical exponent, known for her dynamic and uplifting music. And yet, the Grammy-winning artist has lived outside Africa for more than two decades. Angelique currently resides in New York City, where she is an exceptionally active member of the music scene, and she reaches people around the world with her recordings, tours and philanthropic work. For this season, the spirit of Africa’s best-known voice, Miriam Makeba, lives on through the program Angelique has crafted in tribute. “The sumptuous voice of Angelique Kidjo transcended genre and ethnic boundaries.” ⑈ THE BOSTON GLOBE
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JULIAN LAGE Hailed by All About Jazz as “a giant in the making” before he was even a teen, virtuoso guitarist JULIAN LAGE was the subject of the Academy Award-nominated documentary, Jules at Eight. He gained pivotal early exposure as a protégé of legendary vibraphonist Gary Burton, recording and touring with Burton on two projects: Generations (2004) and Next Generation (2005). Following his own Grammy-nominated 2009 debut Sounding Point, Lage returned with the evocative and finely wrought Gladwell — the second effort by his richly idiosyncratic group. Lage currently holds the guitar chair of the New Gary Burton Quartet while also immersing himself in an eclectic series of acclaimed duo projects with the likes of Nels Cline (Wilco), Chris Eldridge (Punch Brothers), Taylor Eigsti and Fred Hersch. “Transcending specific jazz languages, avoiding conventional instrumentation and stressing beauty of sound above all else, Lage and his quintet produce a richly lyrical music that’s as surprising as it is inevitable.” ⑈ CHICAGO TRIBUNE
UTE LEMPER The career of Ute Lemper is vast and varied. She has made her mark on the stage, in films, in concert and as a unique recording artist. She has been universally praised for her interpretations of Berlin Cabaret Songs, the works of Kurt Weill and French chanson, and for her portrayals on Broadway, in Paris and in London’s West End. Ute won the 1998 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for playing Velma Kelly in the London production of Kander and Ebb’s Chicago. Ute recently completed a concert series with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis dedicated to the music of Kurt Weill. Although strongly linked with Weill’s music, other composers whose work Lemper favors are as varied as Jacques Brel, Elvis Costello, Astor Piazzola, Philip Glass, Nick Cave, and Tom Waits. Lemper has also drawn upon the kind of songs associated with Marlene Dietrich and Edith Piaf. She created an evening of song woven with the poetry of Charles Bukowski and her newest project is around the poetry of Pablo Neruda. “You have to experience Ute Lemper live to appreciate the full effect…Lemper’s range goes from sultry whispers that is completely intoxicating to tour de force vocals.” ⑈ EDGE BOSTON
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RAMSEY LEWIS Composer, pianist and jazz legend RAMSEY LEWIS has been referred to as “the great performer,” a title reflecting his performance style and musical selections which display his early gospel playing and classical training along with his love of jazz and other musical forms. Ramsey Lewis captivated fans with his first album, Ramsey Lewis And The Gentlemen of Swing by the Ramsey Lewis Trio, in 1956. By 1965, he was one of the nation’s most successful jazz pianists, topping the charts with “The In Crowd,” “Hang On Sloopy” and “Wade In The Water.” He has three Grammy Awards and seven gold records to his credit. Beginning in 2005, Mr. Lewis began seriously composing largescale musical works, starting with the ballet, To Know Her... he created for The Joffrey. Two new works, Colors: The Ecology of Oneness performed in Tokyo, as well as the Kennedy Center production of Proclamation of Hope, were broadcast by Chicago Public Television. “…in a word, astonishing.” ⑈ JAZZTIMES
HAROLD LÓPEZ-NUSSA As scion of an illustrious musical family, the 29-year-old Cuban pianist HAROLD LÓPEZ-NUSSA is one of the brightest lights on Havana’s thriving jazz scene. Son of drummer Ruy López-Nussa and nephew of pianist Ernan López-Nussa, Harold gained international attention when he won top honors at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Piano Competition in 2005 (a triumph that earned him a featured festival spot the following year). While touring widely with the Buena Vista Social Club vocalist Omara Portuondo, he launched his solo career as the leader of a superlative trio with his younger brother, the phenomenal drummer Ruy Adrián López-Nussa. His performances reveal a mature musician who has fully integrated his classical training and love of the jazz continuum with his Cuban roots. Ultimately, López-Nussa is a player of astonishing gifts, combining dazzling technique with an abundance of soul. “Young Harold López-Nussa is among the greatest pianists of Cuba.” ⑈ HAVANA TIMES
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DELFEAYO MARSALIS Placing him up with the masters of the trombone, critics have heralded DELFEAYO MARSALIS as the freshest modern voice on the instrument to arrive on the scene. A Grammy Award-winning Producer, Delfeayo has spent the better part of his career fine-tuning albums from the other Marsalis clan members, Wynton, Branford and father Ellis, as well as Marcus Roberts, Spike Lee, and Harry Connick Jr. Delfeayo has also played within the groups of artists Art Blakey, Abdullah Ibrahim, Elvin Jones, Slide Hampton, Ray Charles, Fats Domino and Max Roach. His own Quintet truly smokes, and his UPTOWN JAZZ ORCHESTRA smoothly slides in one era and out the other while cooking up “a piquant gumbo of festive sounds.” With his father, Ellis, Delfeayo has created The Last Southern Gentlemen, a relaxed, thoughtful and provocative program, imparting a full sense of the humanity and humility so central to the Southern lifestyle when it birthed Jazz, the original American music. “One of the best, most imaginative, and musical trombonists of his generation.” ⑈ SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER
ELLIS MARSALIS At his core, ELLIS MARSALIS is a modern jazz musician. The term may seem dated now, but it carried particular weight when Ellis was coming of a musical age in the ’50s and ’60s — especially in New Orleans, a city where tourism demanded jazz musicians be nothing more than traditionalists. Ellis was different; more attuned to jazz’s future, he developed a lean and commanding approach to the piano trio, helping to create a modern movement in New Orleans with his collective American Jazz Quintet and his own Quartet while also educating the next generation of jazz: Blanchard, Payton, Harry Connick Jr., and, of course, all those Marsalis Brothers. With his son, Delfeayo, Ellis has created The Last Southern Gentleman program, also featuring John Clayton and Marvin “Smitty” Smith, giving tribute to the Southern Culture out of which Jazz was born, America’s first original music. “His harmonic influences clearly reflected the ideas of the legendary beboppers of his youth, and his relaxed indulgences in those wanderings were hypnotic and unique.” ⑈ ALL ABOUT JAZZ
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CHRISTIAN McBRIDE When he hit the jazz scene like a comet at age 17, CHRISTIAN McBRIDE’S huge, woodsy sound and precocious agility invited early comparisons to the legendary bassist Ray Brown. Brown, in fact, asked him to join him in his legendary group, Superbass. Since the early 1990s McBride has been the go-to bassist, having recorded on over 300 dates as a sideman. Aside from relatively recent travels with Pat Metheny; Chick Corea, Roy Haynes, John McLaughlin and Kenny Garrett, the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour – 55th Anniversary, and residencies and artistic leadership roles with organizations ranging from New York’s 92nd St. Y and Jazz House Kids to NJPAC, McBride has toured consistently for years with his own quintet, Inside Straight and the trio he has formed from that quintet’s core of pianist Christian Sands and drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr. He also fronts the Christian McBride Big Band, whose recording, The Good Feeling, won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 2012 — McBride’s third Grammy win overall. “Some throwback feel-good vibes get a hit of youthful energy.” ⑈ THE NEW YORK TIMES
DEL McCOURY Among the most distinguished practitioners of traditional bluegrass, DEL McCOURY has been the epitome of the “high lonesome sound” for over three decades. McCoury got his first big break in 1963 when Bill Monroe, impressed by Del’s picking, invited him to join his Blue Grass Boys, where McCoury slid into the group’s lead vocal slot and took up rhythm guitar. In 1987, he formed the Del McCoury Band following the additions of his sons Ronnie on mandolin and Robbie on banjo along with fiddler Tad Marks and bass player Mike Brantley. Today, the Del McCoury Band enjoys the praise of traditional bluegrass lovers and tie-dyed clad “DelHeads” alike. Their current dates range from performing arts centers to hardcore bluegrass festivals to hip, youth-oriented “jamfests” such as Bonnaroo and High Sierra, spreading the bluegrass gospel wherever they go. Del has proven not to be a relic of bluegrass music’s past, but an architect of its future. To that end, Del has been helping bring new life to the work of the “Dust Bowl Troubadour,” folk poet Woody Guthrie. With the support of Woody Guthrie’s family, Del has taken an evening’s worth of never-before-heard lyrics and set them to music. “McCoury once again proves why he was revered long before he was inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame.” ⑈ RELIX
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JOHN McLAUGHLIN JOHN MCLAUGHLIN has famously performed with Miles Davis, Tony
Williams, and his own historic bands: The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Shakti and The Guitar Trio. In fact, his work on Davis’ first gold record, Bitches Brew, pointed the way to new jazz possibilities. Through the almost four decades of his career, one constant has been Mr. McLaughlin’s artistry as a virtuoso guitarist and venturesome improviser. McLaughlin has managed to not be eclipsed by his own history, though, forever moving forward with stellar outfits to interpret his latest musical direction, surrounding himself with musicians who are more than sidemen, but true collaborators. His latest, Fourth Dimension, more than holds its own to make the case for the enduring and sublime power of rock-influenced jazz. “…his music is as powerful and hard-hitting as it ever was…a triumphant homecoming..” ⑈ LONDON JAZZ NEWS
CÉCILE McLORIN SALVANT Winner of the 2010 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocal Competition, CÉCILE McLORIN SALVANT came to the fore following a very different path. Born in Miami to a French mother and Haitian father, Cécile McLorin Salvant’s first language was French. She immersed herself in the classical music tradition, long before she turned to jazz — starting on piano at age five and joining the Miami Choral Society at age eight. When it came time for college, McLorin Salvant bypassed all the US conservatories and jazz schools, heading instead to Aixen-Provence in France, where she continued to develop as a singer, but with an emphasis on classical and baroque vocal music as well as jazz. By the time she returned to her home country to take the stage in the Monk Competition, she had drawn on this unusual set of formative experiences to create a personal style of jazz singing, surprising and dramatic by turns, and very much in contrast to that of the other participants and McLorin Salvant’s contemporaries. “Ms. McLorin Salvant has it all...If anyone can extend the lineage of the Big Three—Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald—it is this 23-year-old virtuoso.” ⑈ THE NEW YORK TIMES
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PAT METHENY It is one thing to attain popularity as a musician, but it is another to receive the kind of acclaim PAT METHENY has garnered from critics and peers. Over the years, Metheny has won countless polls as “Best Jazz Guitarist” and awards, including three gold records for (Still Life) Talking, Letter from Home, and Secret Story. He has also won 20 Grammy Awards in 12 different categories including Best Rock Instrumental, Best Contemporary Jazz Recording, Best Jazz Instrumental Solo and Best Instrumental Composition. The Pat Metheny Group won an unprecedented seven consecutive Grammys for seven consecutive albums. Metheny has spent most of his life on tour, averaging between 120 - 240 shows a year since 1974 and he continues to be one of the brightest stars of the jazz community, dedicating time to both his own projects and those of emerging artists and established veterans alike, helping them to reach their audience as well as realizing their own artistic visions. “Metheny’s solos remain a thing of wonder: melodic at any tempo and packed with fresh ideas, his fertile imagination and phenomenal technique show no signs of flagging.” ⑈ JAZZWISE
JANE MONHEIT Grammy-nominated JANE MONHEIT has been a leading light in both the jazz and cabaret worlds since emerging as a finalist in the Thelonious Monk Institute’s 1998 vocal competition. By 2000, Monheit had joined Diana Krall as one of the highest-touted female talents in jazz. In addition to her own recordings, she has worked alongside the likes of Terence Blanchard, Tom Harrell, Les Brown, Fred Hersch, Adam Dorn and Ivan Lins. Her 11 CDs represent a broad spectrum of her repertoire, as she is at home with soulful ballads, bluesy mid-tempo romps and bop flag-wavers. Monheit has also been a featured performer in the nationally televised Christmas at the White House, the Capitol Fourth of July Celebration, and The National Memorial Day Celebration. She has appeared on numerous television shows including Emeril, Ramsey Lewis’ Legends of Jazz, Letterman, The View, and The Today Show. “Ms. Monheit, now 35, has matured into a confident, expressive interpreter eager to take chances.” ⑈ THE NEW YORK TIMES
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DANILO PÉREZ Grammy Award-winning pianist and composer DANILO PÉREZ has made an indelible mark on contemporary jazz as leader of his own ensembles and as a member of the new Wayne Shorter Quartet. Notable for his insightful and innovative treatments of the standard jazz repertoire and as a leading exponent of Pan-American jazz music, Pérez has become a shining beacon among the current generation of jazz and Latin jazz musicians. Danilo’s abundant talents and joyous enthusiasm make his concerts both memorable and inspiring while putting a decidedly fresh imprint on contemporary music, guided, as always, by his deep love for jazz. He has earned three Grammy nominations, one Grammy Award, numerous critic’s awards, and acclaim for his recorded works and passionate live performances. Pérez also serves as the Artistic Director of Berklee College of Music’s Global Jazz Institute. “The Danilo Pérez Trio may be the most adventurous and dynamic group working in mainstream jazz today.” ⑈ POPMATTERS
MADELEINE PEYROUX MADELEINE PEYROUX began as a teenage busker, honing her vocal and
guitar skills on the famously quaint, acoustic streets of Europe, molding her style on the cornerstones of jazz: Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong. As early as her first album, her husky voice, her way of telling the story of her life, of her failures, losses, while underscoring the precariousness of existence, endowed Peyroux with the aura of postmodern melancholy. In 2007, the BBC named her Best International Jazz Artist. Through intensely distinctive renditions of old classics and modern tunes by the likes of Leonard Cohen and The Beatles, Peyroux has proved to be an uncannily insightful ‘interpreter’ with her consistently impeccable choice of material. Peyroux’s new album, The Blue Room, sees the genre-blending singer reworking some landmark musical gems, in a repeat collaboration with longtime Peyroux producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Walter Becker, Tracy Chapman, Herbie Hancock). The result is a sophisticated project that, rather than just ‘crossing over’, seamlessly fuses musical styles together to create an entirely new sound. In 2014, Madeleine will be performing in a small ensemble setting. “...she sings such lovely songs, so well.” ⑈ THE NEW YORK TIMES
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JOHN PIZZARELLI The Grammy-nominated, JOHN PIZZARELLI has established himself as one of the prime interpreters of The Great American Songbook and beyond, bringing to his work the cool jazz flavor of his guitar playing and singing. He is both a bandleader and solo performer, and has been a special guest on recordings for artists such as Paul McCartney, James Taylor, Natalie Cole, Kristin Chenoweth, Donna Summer, Roberta Flack, Rosemary Clooney, Ruby Braff, Johnny Frigo, Buddy DeFranco, Harry Allen and, his father Bucky Pizzarelli. After his recent smash success with the Boston Pops, he was hailed by the Boston Globe for “reinvigorating the Great American Songbook and re-popularizing jazz.” And the Seattle Times called him “a tour de force” and “a rare entertainer of the old school.” Before a recent show in the northwest, the local paper quipped “John Pizzarelli is so impossibly cool, he shouldn’t be legally allowed to enter Oregon.” “Mr. Pizzarelli is both jazz virtuoso and a skilled interpreter of the Great American Songbook. What sets him apart are his skills as an entertainer and a firm belief the Songbook is an ever-evolving work in progress.” ⑈ PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
POEMJAZZ: ROBERT PINSKY & LAURENCE HOBGOOD POEMJAZZ treats a voice speaking poetry like that of a horn: speech
with its own poetic melody and rhythm in conversation with what the music is doing; a vibrant conversation between the sounds of poetry and music. ROBERT PINSKY, the only three-term United States Poet Laureate, brings an innovative energy to all he does. In 2010, his libretto for Tod Machover’s opera, Death and the Powers: A Robot Pageant, premiered in Monaco before coming to Boston’s ART. His adaptation of Friedrich Schiller’s Wallenstein will be presented next season by the Shakespeare Theater of Washington, D.C. LAURENCE HOBGOOD is a multiple Grammy nominee and 2010 Grammy Award winner, best known for his collaboration with vocalist Kurt Elling. He’s played on, composed, arranged and co-produced all of Elling’s CDs, each Grammy nominated. “The poet’s performances are rich with spontaneous touches — repeating phrases, doubling back on words, inserting freshly elucidating text — worthy of Ella, Anita O’Day or, most accurately, Mark Murphy and Elling.” ⑈ JAZZTIMES By special arrangement with the Steven Barclay Agency
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RED BARAAT The pioneering Brooklyn “dhol ‘n’ brass” juggernaut RED BARAAT has made a name for itself as one of the best live bands playing anywhere in the world. Led by dhol drummer Sunny Jain, the ensemble melds the infectious North Indian Bhangra rhythms with a host of sounds; namely funk, go-go, latin, and jazz. Leading an audience as diverse and joyful as the band itself, Red Baraat has subsumed a plateful of global influence, fused it, and is now exporting it to the world “Brooklyn-style.” The group’s debut CD, Chaal Baby, was voted by several music critics as a top world and jazz release of 2010. Along with premiering their latest disc Shruggy Ji at NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, the band has delivered blistering performances at globalFEST, Montreal Jazz Festival, Festival De Louisiane, Quebec City Summer Festival, Chicago World Music Festival, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, New Orleans Jazz Festival, CityFolk Festival, Chicago Folks & Roots Festival and most recently, Bonnaroo, and High Sierra Music Festival. “Brooklyn’s Red Baraat stormed the stage with a sound that fused hiphop, jazz, and Indian folk music for something that was greater than the sum of its parts and simply impossible not to move to.” ⑈ BOSTON GLOBE
SONNY ROLLINS When SONNY ROLLINS picks up the tenor saxophone, the world listens. For over half a century, he has played music with the majesty of a Greek god, and today remains one of the few surviving icons from a golden era of jazz that will probably never be equaled. Rollins first recorded in 1949 and was immediately recognized as one of the most promising, spontaneous, and creative tenor players on the jazz scene, being sought after by Miles, Monk, and the Modern Jazz Quartet. As the most formidable of all jazz improvisers, Sonny remains a living inspiration to musicians and listeners worldwide, he has maintained a steady program of carefully chosen performances and recordings, each one illuminating why, as the Village Voice so aptly put it, Rollins is “the last jazz immortal.” “…a showcase for one of the titans of the music to flex his ongoing dedication to an unfettered exploration of melody, invention and time.” ⑈ LOS ANGELES TIMES
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PONCHO SANCHEZ If you wanted to picture the music of percussionist PONCHO SANCHEZ, you’d be looking at a kaleidoscopic swirl of some of the hottest color and brightest lights to emerge from either side of the Mexi-Cali border. Sanchez’s musical consciousness, by his teen years, had already been solidified by the likes of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Cal Tjader, Mongo Santamaria, Wilson Pickett, and James Brown. Whatever the genre, the mesmerizing array of sounds and colors from Poncho Sanchez’s youth have telegraphed across the decades continuing to inform his creative sensibilities. His relationship with Concord Records is now in its second decade and has yielded two dozen recordings, a Grammy Award, and several Grammy nominations. “When the house lights went down and the stage lights came up, the party officially began.” ⑈ TWIN CITIES DAILY PLANET
ARTURO SANDOVAL 9-time Grammy Award-winner, 17 times nominated 6 time Billboard Award-winner, Emmy Award-winner and soon-to-be awarded the Presidential Medal Of Freedom this year. A protégé of the legendary jazz master Dizzy Gillespie, ARTURO SANDOVAL was born in Artemisa, a small town in the outskirts of Havana, Cuba, on November 6, 1949, just two years after Gillespie became the first musician to bring Latin influences into American Jazz. Sandoval began studying classical trumpet at the age of twelve, but it didn’t take him long to catch the excitement of the jazz world. He has since evolved into one of the world’s most acknowledged guardians of jazz trumpet and flugel horn, as well as a renowned classical artist, pianist and composer. He is one of the most dynamic and vivacious live performers of our time, and has been seen by millions at the Oscars performing with Celine Dion, at the Grammy Awards with Justin Timberlake and in his own right as a leader. He also performed at the Billboard Awards with Alicia Keys. “Sandoval’s performance reminded us, we should hold onto the classics. Not for the sake of the past, but in pursuit of the timeless ideal of boundless creativity. Of ageless art.” ⑈ SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
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MARIA SCHNEIDER MARIA SCHNEIDER has composed music hailed by critics as
“evocative, majestic, magical, heart-stoppingly gorgeous, and beyond categorization.” From their first recording, “Evanescence,” Schneider began to develop a personal way of writing for her 17-member collective, tailoring her compositions to distinctly highlight the unique voices of the group. In doing so, she created a distinguished body of work, garnering nine Grammy nominations and two Grammy Awards. Subsequently, the Orchestra has performed at festivals and concert halls worldwide. Schneider herself has received numerous and varied commissions as well as guest conducting invites, working with 80 plus groups from more than 30 countries spanning Europe, Australia, Asia, North and South America. “…rich and compelling...original and mesmerizing.” ⑈ MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE
THE SOUL REBELS Imagine blending the sounds of Mardi Gras funk, rock, and reggae so seamlessly it defies category. Now distill that idea into an eight piece ensemble, add a hip hop sensibility plus a hundred years of New Orleans jazz tradition, and you’ll get the powerful band known as THE SOUL REBELS. This shrewd crew of multi-instrumentalists create a high energy, groove-laden affair engineered to force audiences worldwide to party with their contagious sound. They are proud of their hometown’s rich cultural heritage and take every opportunity to spread it around the world. Averaging around 250 shows per year, the Soul Rebels have brought their party to stages far and wide, including: WOMAD, Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, Umbria Jazz Fest, Antibes Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, the Wanee Festival and, of course, NOLA’s Jazz and Heritage Festival. “They throw soul, rap, and funk into the brass band mix, resulting in a delightful amalgamation of nasty trumpet and trombone lines and feel good tunes.” ⑈ POP MATTERS
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