Jazz at Lincoln Center

[femmina]

Jazz at Lincoln Center: Trombones to Tap
By Scott H. Thompson
06 Apr 2009


Vincent Gardner, photo by Clay Patrick McBride


Roll back the rug for Jazz, Tap and Theater, running April 16–18. Wynton Marsalis and orchestra will swing to the stompin’ of tap dancers and the lyrical rhythms of Langston Hughes- including the premiere of a new Vincent Gardner piece based on Hughes' work.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra trombonist and composer Vincent Gardner premieres the Jesse B. Semple Suite, a new commission for jazz orchestra based on the stories of Langston Hughes. Hughes wrote more than 70 short stories for The Chicago Defender, then a leading African-American newspaper, and also penned a column inventing stories that commented on social issues. “He gives himself another name,” says Gardner, “sitting at a bar in Harlem with this guy named ‘Semple’ and having these funny stories.” Gardner has taken some of Hughes’s short stories, which will be acted out in skits on stage, and written music to complement their messages.
Gardner has been a contributing member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for almost a decade. Born in Chicago in 1972 and raised in Hampton, Virginia, he came from a musical family. Singing in church at an early age, he tried various different instruments before settling on the trombone at age 12. His career has since included various stints not only with other jazz soloists, but also with hip-hop artist Lauryn Hill, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and an Ethiopian pop band.
Gardner sees parallels in arranging and composing that mimic human behavior and movement, so he has tried to reflect in his music. Moreover, Gardner sees Hughes’s writing as intrinsically musical. “These stories jumped out at me,” says Gardner. “I couldn’t hear the music, but I could hear that there was music. The stories were just something I had on the road to read on the bus!”
Gardner promises an evocative evening for Jazz, Tap and Theater. “You’re going to hear some woody dialogue from the story,” he says, “a little shocking, because it talks about the pre-desegregation times and Jim Crow and those kinds of things.” Gardner says that underneath the roughness of the language, the tone of the story remains light-hearted, a style he says was used by African Americans in an attempt to make light of their situation before desegregation.
“You hear the music that goes along with the message,” says Gardner. “It’s not at all like Broadway, where the music is under the story. We’re going to play our music after each skit is done.” Gardner’s music is decidedly not incidental. Don’t miss your chance to see this exciting performance that blurs the boundaries of dance, music and theater.
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For tickets and further information visit Jazz at Lincoln Center.



Scott H. Thompson is Assistant Director of Public Relations for Jazz at Lincoln Center.

[femmina]

Afro-Cuban Jazz Celebration at Lincoln Center

By Scott H. Thompson
11 Oct 2010

Wynton Marsalis and Carlos Henriquez
photo by Frank Stewart/Jazz at Lincoln Center

Jazz at Lincoln Center pays homage to the heritage of Latin jazz greats in two Afro-Cuban Jazz Celebrations: Jazz Meets Clave featuring the JALC Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis Oct. 21–23, and pianist Chucho Valds Oct. 22 & 23.



** In Jazz Meets Clave, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra bassist Carlos Henriquez explains that the rhythm in this music spans many styles. “Clave is just an ingredient of a certain style of music,” he says. “In Latin music we have a clave. African music has its own clave. Afro-Cuban music has its clave. Rock ‘n’ roll has its own clave. R&B has its own clave. Jazz has its own clave in the swing pattern. Clave is a rhythm. It distinguishes the style of that music. During the show, we’re going to show the differences in clave.”

The godfather of Afro-Cuban music, Mario Bauza, and his fellow countrymen Machito, Chano Pozo, and Cachao were the early innovators who introduced Latin musicians to American jazz, and at the same time taught the great jazz artists like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker how to play the intricate polyrhythms of Cuba.

Henriquez explains that clave can be played with one person or it can be played with an orchestra. “If we put an Afro-Cuban clave behind a jazz rhythm section, when that clave starts playing, those who know are going to say ‘oh man, that’s a 2/3 clave from Cuba.’ It’s an authentication to the style of music.

“The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra members are veterans at the clave because we were able to collaborate with Yacub Addy and his African group from Ghana and also with Chano Dominguez and his flamenco dancers from Spain. We understand how important clave is to that country’s music.

“Mario Bauza and the other pioneers bridge Latin music and jazz; Mario played in Cab Calloway’s band and Dizzy Gillespie played in that band, too. So they became very good friends and Dizzy became familiar with what the music was. After that, it was a matter of creating your own ingredient to make your own soup. You have to use some type of water base to create a soup; without water, you don’t have soup,” says master music chef Henriquez.

Meanwhile, in The Allen Room during the Afro-Cuban Jazz Celebration, Chucho Valds, joined by the award-winning Afro-Cuban Messengers, adds to the excitement of the weekend event. Valds is a true musical statesman, the living embodiment of the history of Afro-Cuban jazz and the major representative of the current state of the art. Most importantly, he is also a straight-ahead jazz pianist unlike any other, one who can create an entire orchestra all by himself at the keyboard. His style is full of fiery clave rhythms, heart-stopping montuno passages, and heart-stirring, romantic boleros.

So come prepared for some serious rhythms at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Afro-Cuban Jazz Celebration with Chucho Valds, plus the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra led by trumpeter and Music Director Wynton Marsalis.

“Wynton has something in him that is completely Hispanic or Cuban,” says Henriquez. “He’s from New Orleans, so he has that creole in him. He loves Latin music because when he was a young musician in New York City he was called to play a lot of Latin gigs. Back in those days there was a strong Latin vibe in the city.

“We’re playing in Mexico the week before we do this gig at Jazz at Lincoln Center,” Henriquez concludes. “The guys are going to be pumped up. It’s going to be great!” There are pre-concert talks each night at 7pm. For more information, visit jalc.org.