February Mellon Jazz Concerts Feature Coltrane to Contemporary
Col’train Series Includes Exotic Rhythms From Peru & Venezuela Feb. 19
Herbie Hancock Salutes ‘Our Times’ With Fellow Jazzmen Feb. 23
January 31, 2005
Michael Brecker, Roy Hargrove & Herbie Hancock
When the Col’train stops in Peru and Venezuela, four unique jazz artists will be on board to bring the exotic rhythms of South America to the Perelman Theater. University of the Arts-trained Venezuelan pianist Ed Simon is joined by Peruvian bassist Oscar Stagnaro, bass player Achilles Baez and Coltrane disciple/post-bop tenor saxophonist Mark Turner as special guest. The quartet will mix Coltrane’s jazz beats with rhythms like the Venezuelan joropo and the Peruvian festejo, spiced with a special African flavor. Audiences will also enjoy a post-concert question & answer session with the artists.
The concert is part of the Kimmel Center Presents Mellon Jazz Up Close: 'Take The Col’Train' series under the guidance of renowned jazz pianist and composer Danilo Perez. Perez is Artistic Advisor of the exclusive, one-night only series of performances.
Winner of nine Grammy Awards and an Oscar, fabled jazz pianist Herbie Hancock is joined by two generations of jazzmen for ‘Directions In Music: Our Times,’ which will explore the themes of contemporary composers who have helped influence the progression of the continuous jazz vernacular. Hancock, along with Roy Hargrove on trumpet and Michael Brecker on saxophone combine to celebrate today’s jazz icons such as Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Jaco Pastorius, Stevie Wonder, the late Ray Charles and Hancock.
The ‘Directions In Music’ program was first introduced by the jazz trio after garnering international success in 2001-02 for their celebration of the 75th anniversary of two of the most highly regarded composers in jazz history — John Coltrane and Miles Davis. The group’s sold-out tour received worldwide accolades including two Grammy Awards for their live recording.
Herbie Hancock’s 40-year career as a jazz pianist and recording artist has encompassed a wide range of interests and mastery of various genres of music. Classically trained as a youth, Hancock performed with many symphony orchestras. His jazz career took off under apprenticeships with trumpeter Donald Byrd, saxophone giants Coleman Hawkins, Phil Woods, Oliver Nelson, culminating in an invitation by Miles Davis to join his quintet. His notoriety continued in the 1970’s with his electronic dance-beat experiments and hip-hop inspired recordings. Hancock still remains active in both the electronic pop and acoustic jazz worlds.
Roy Hargrove, widely recognized as one of the top-improvising trumpeters, has impressed audiences throughout the world, gaining a reputation as one of the most versatile and hardest working players in jazz. He has led quartets, quintets, nonets and a big band. As both a musician and composer, Hargrove has ventured into the black pop mainstream, collaborating with R&B artists, jazz/neo-soul/jam band players, and hip-hop stars. His effort with pop star D’Angelo on their best-selling Voodoo album, received a Grammy Award in 2000.
A major figure in contemporary instrumental music, tenor saxophonist and composer Michael Brecker is a seven-time Grammy winner, and the first to win "Best Jazz Instrumental Performance" and "Best Jazz Instrumental Solo" two years in a row. He is among the most studied instrumentalists in music schools today due to many of his stylistic and harmonic innovations. Inspired by Coltrane, Brecker has recorded and performed with some of the most respected and renowned names in jazz including McCoy Tyner, Horace Silver, Chet Baker, George Benson, Chick Corea, Dave Brubeck, Freddie Hubbard, Quincy Jones, Pat Metheny, and Hancock. He has also collaborated with such pop-icons as John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Diana Ross, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, The Rolling Stones and many others.
Tickets for the Col’train/Peru & Venezuela concert on February 19 are $35 and $40. Tickets for Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker and Roy Hargrove on February 23 range from $35 to $78. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center box office. A limited number of $10 tickets are available for every Kimmel Center Presents performance at the Kimmel Center. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office beginning at 5:30pm for evening performances and 11:30am for matinees.
Sponsors of the 2004-2005 Kimmel Center Presents season include Mellon Financial Corporation, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Bank of America, Sovereign Bank, Wachovia Foundation, The American Express Company, Verizon Foundation, Bucks County Coffee, and SEPTA, the Commuter’s Choice. Special Student Matinees at the Kimmel Center are generously supported by Merck & Co., Inc. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. Toyota is the Official Vehicle of Kimmel Center Presents Jazz and World Pop programming. In-kind support is generously provided by Deloitte and Southern Wine and Spirit.
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