Pan-American Nutcracker: Latin Jazz for the Holidays

el lington ja zz ser i es Thomas C. Duffy, Artistic Director

Pan-American Nutcracker: Latin Jazz for the Holidays with the

Yale Concert Band

Friday, December 6, 2024 | 7:30 p.m.

Woolsey Hall

José García-León, Dean

Ensemble Profiles New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band Saxophone Alejandro Aviles, lead alto saxophone Andrew Gould, alto saxophone 2 Luis Hernandez, tenor saxophone 1 Lucas Pino, tenor saxophone 2 Matt Hong, baritone trombone Joe Fiedler, lead trombone Juanga Lakunza, trombone 2 Sam Blakeslee, trombone 3 James Borowski, bass trombone trumpet Nick Marchione, lead trumpet Tony Kadleck, trumpet 2 David Neves, trumpet 3 Diego Urcola, trumpet 4 rhythm section Vinny Valentino, guitar Luisito Quintero, percussion Hector Martignon, piano Boris Kozlov, bass Joe McCarthy, drums and band leader The New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band (NYABABB) is an Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble based in New York City.

Founded and led by drummer Joe McCarthy, the band is comprised of NYC’s finest musicians. Hailed by Downbeat Magazine as “a torchbearer of the genre’s storied history and one of its fiercest innovators” NYABABB has sustained a noted presence on the Afro-Latin scene for over 20 years.

The band’s music draws from the great bebop tradition, married to the rich rhythmic stylings of Afro-Caribbean music. Their extensive catalog of music features the writing and composing talents of Joe McCarthy, Vince Norman, and other members of the band. NYABABB has collaborated with renowned artists such as Paquito D’ Rivera, and Dave Samuels, among others.

NYABABB’s achievements include winning the Latin Jazz Album of the Year at the 2008 Latin Grammy Awards® for their recording “Afro Bop Alliance featuring Dave Samuels,” which was also nominated for a Grammy® in the same category. The band has earned multiple Wammie Awards for Best Latin Ensemble, Best Latin Recording, and Best Big Band Recording.

Active in education, NYABABB has led numerous clinics and master classes around the country at both the collegiate and secondary school levels. Their music has been featured at prestigious venues such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the Smithsonian’s Jazz Appreciation Series, among many others.

With their innovative arrangements and masterful execution, The New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band continues to push the boundaries of jazz and Afro-Cuban music, captivating audiences and critics alike.

Yale Concert Band Thomas C. Duffy, music director The Yale Concert Band, a group of 50-65 wind, brass, and percussion players, embraces the aesthetics of the traditional wind band and the contemporary experimental ensemble. Our repertoire consists of a panoply of wind band classics; premieres by and commissions of Yale students, faculty and established worldclass composers; and the newest wind band literature that incorporates electro-acoustic sounds, folk/rock/hip hop music, soloists, and theatrical trappings.

The Yale Concert Band regularly presents concerts to benefit causes and organizations, ranging from benefit concerts to support the work of New Haven’s IRIS (Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (2017, 2018, 2019); to provide aid to the relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina (2005), floods in Myanmar (2007), tornadoes in the American midwest (2007), the earthquake in Haiti (2010), the tsunami in Japan (2011), and West African Ebola recovery efforts (2016). In 1959, the Yale Concert Band became the first university band to produce an international concert tour, and, since then, has appeared in concerts in Japan, South Africa, Swaziland, Mexico, Brazil, Bermuda, Russia, Finland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Ireland, England, France, Italy, Denmark, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ghana, Haiti, Greece, Australia, and Spain. The Yale Concert Band will tour Scotland and Wales in May 2025.

Yale Concert Band Roster Thomas C. Duffy, music director Stephanie Hubbard, operations and productions manager Piccolo Salena Huang YSEAS ’26 Flute Tiffany Jiang MED ’27* Zoe Frost ’27 Noah Brazer MED ’27 Allie Gruber ’26 Allan An ’28 Peter Nelson ’26 Noah Watson ’28 Mei Hao YSEAS ’28 Winni Lin ’28 Oboe Ana Rodrigues ’25* Sophia Graham ’26 Eb Clarinet Nickolas Hamblin YSM ’25 Clarinet Benjamin Swinchoski ’25† Amelia Shaw ’28 Sammy Feingold ’28 Joshua Chen ’27 Joey Berger ’28 Amalee Bowen GSAS ’28 Cameron Nye ’27 Bass Clarinet Ari Blehert ’28

Bassoon Kennedy Plains YSM ’25* Freddy Laux ’27 Alto Saxophone Lizzie Seward ’27* Richard Wong ’28 Alina Martel ’23/MED ’28 Tenor Saxophone Esteban Figueroa ’25* Aaron Yu ’25 Baritone Saxophone Hanson Qin ’28 Cornet & Trumpet Jared Wyetzner ’27* Greta Garrison ’28 Graydon Nolen ’28 Kyle Chen ’27 Isaiah Harvey ’28 Horn Micah Draper ’28 Julia Landres ’28 Katie Howard GSAS ’25 Zakariya Bouzid ’28 Shell Ross ’26 Alexander Bello ’28 Andres Luengo ’27

Trombone Cody Uman 25* Max Watzky ’27 Nathan Lange ’27 Euphonium William Roberts YSM ’26 Tuba Benson Wang ’27 String Bass Arden Ingersoll YSM ’26 Celeste Aaron Yu ’25 Percussion Max Su ’25* Madeline Chun ’26 Nikolai Stephens-Zumbaum ’26 Tally Vaneman ’27 Music Librarian Madeline Chun ’26 *principal †Keith L. Wilson Principal Clarinet Chair

Program Notes The Pan American Nutcracker Suite “The Pan American Nutcracker Suite” is a global musical adventure that celebrates and unites the brilliance of Tchaikovsky’s timeless classic, “The Nutcracker Suite,” with the beautifully diverse musical traditions of the Americas and beyond.

This innovative adaptation, co-arranged

by Joe McCarthy and Vince Norman, seamlessly blends the rich cultural rhythms and melodies from Latin America, North America, Asia, and the Caribbean, creating a unique and vibrant reinterpretation of the beloved suite.

Performed by the Latin Grammy® award-winning New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band, this project showcases the ensemble’s exceptional talent and versatility. Known for their powerful performances and dynamic sound, the New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band brings a fresh and exhilarating energy to every note, making this adaptation a true celebration of musical fusion.

Released on Angelface Records in 2022, “The Pan American Nutcracker Suite” quickly garnered attention and acclaim.

Its innovative arrangements and masterful execution earned the project a 2023 Latin Grammy® nomination in the Best Arrangement category for “Waltz of the Flowers.” This nomination is a testament to the project’s artistic excellence and its ability to resonate with audiences and critics alike.

With “The Pan American Nutcracker Suite,” listeners are invited on a journey that transcends borders and genres, highlighting the universal language of music and the shared joy of artistic expression. It stands as a testament to the enduring power of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece and the endless possibilities of creative collaboration.

About the Ellington Jazz Series

Thank you for your support!

For fifty years, the Duke Ellington Fellowship has brought the giants of jazz to Yale’s concert halls and to the city’s public schools. In 1972, Yale’s president Kingman Brewster presented the first Ellington medals to thirty jazz greats, including the Duke himself. That year marked the beginning of a series of extraordinary jazz concerts by Eubie Blake, Dizzy Gillespie, Paul Robeson, Marian Anderson, Odetta, Max Roach, and Charles Mingus, to name just a few.

Become a Yale School of Music patron and support our performance programs. Enjoy patron benefits like preferred seating and invitations to special events.

The Ellington Series continues to present concerts and residencies by jazz legends as well as the new generation of artists.

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List as of December 6, 2024

Upcoming Events at YSM dec 9

Tuba Studio Recital YSM Ensembles 4:30 p.m. | Sudler Hall Free admission

dec 9

Guitar Chamber Music YSM Ensembles 7:30 p.m. | Morse Recital Hall Free admission

dec 10

Vista: Chamber Music YSM Ensembles 7:30 p.m. | Morse Recital Hall Free admission

jan 31

Mali Obomsawin Ellington Jazz Series 7:30 p.m. | Morse Recital Hall Tickets start at $26, Yale faculty/staff start at $19, Students start at $11

mar 29 Willie Ruff Memorial Concert Ellington Jazz Series 2:00 p.m. | Woolsey Hall Tickets start at $26, Yale faculty/staff start at $19, Students start at $11

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