Jazzics: from Classix to Tropix Series: THE BIG BAND THEORY, Wed. May 9th, 8:30PM, at Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center. 129 W 67 Str., NYC.
After a year-long monthly residence at NYC’s famous Nuyorican Poets Cafe, BANDAGRANDE Big Band joins JAZZ CAMERATA to explore some of music’s purest forms, from Bach to Shostakovich to Hermeto Pascoal, to Bill Evans… up to innovative contemporary originals.
Please join, on May 9th, 8PM, , some of the city’s best Jazz and classic instrumentalists while they give their best to bring this ideal world to our side of the event horizon… pure Big Band Swingularity in one of New York’s most beautiful concert venues, MERKIN HALL
A repertoire spanning 4 centuries, re-voiced through the sound-canvas of the traditional 18-piece Big Band and a muscular string-ensemble. Colombian star-harpist Edmar Castañeda premieres a dedicated Concert for Harp, Big Band and String Ensemble. J. S. Bach’s Erbarme Dich, from St. Matthews Passion will reveal a whole new set of dimensions through a revolutionary Big Band arrangement backing up Brenda Feliciano’s immaculate voice, while masterfully counter-pointed by trumpet-virtuoso Joe Burgstaller.
Established icons like bass-magician John Benitez (Chick Corea, John Scofield, Eddie Palmieri, et. al.), vibraphone-prodigy Christos Rafalides (Wynton Marsalis, Mingus Big Band, et. al.), percussion-powerhouse Samuel Torres (Richard Bona, Arturo Sandoval, et.al.), Vince Cherico, one of the most requested drummers in the New York Jazz scene form the rhythmic core of this revolutionary project, providing a harmonic-rhythmical canvas for their own virtuosic improvisation as well as for a whole sonic universe of strings, woodwind, brass and vocal painting-strokes, with up and coming stars like Alex Han, Chelsea Baratz, David de Jesus on sax, trombonists Chris Washburne, Andy Hunter, Rafi Makiel, lead-trumpet legend John Walsh and colleagues Eddie Allen, Steve Gluzband who have made an important mark of their own… Add to the mix a string ensemble of accomplished Jazz and Latin players under the guidance of Venezuelan maestro, violist Samuel Marchán and you’ll get the ideal of ALL worlds as predicted in the Big Band Theory…
Tkts: $30, $18 students; call 212-5013330
Hector Martignon 