Jazz Festival Spotlights - Sunday 7.1.12
TROMBONE SHORTY
Called the “Jimi Hendrix of the Trombone” in a recent profile by Rhythms’ magazine, trombone/trumpet phenomenon Troy “TROMBONE SHORTY” Andrews, along with his band Orleans Avenue, will be among the headliners of the 35th Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival, performing on Sunday, July 1.
The New Orleans born and bred musician has had a meteoric rise since the 2010 release of his Grammy®--nominated 2010 debut album, Backatown. Trombone Shorty and his band, Orleans Avenue, are known for their signature “Supafunkrock” sound -- a combination of New Orleans’ funk, rock, R&B and hip-hop. The latest album from the group, For True, released in September, features contributions from some of the biggest stars of the music world – Jeff Beck, Warren Haynes, Kid Rock and Lenny Kravitz, in whose touring band Andrews used to play.
“Trombone Shorty’s rock star presence and funk-meets-big brass sound has won him fans across the globe, enriched the jazz landscape and given the music world a bold, brilliant young talent,” said White. “With his band, he’ll wow the crowds at this year’s jazz festival and help us celebrate the future, as well as the history of this fabulous festival.”
The San Francisco Chronicle’s Joel Selvin hailed Trombone Shorty as “New Orleans’ brightest new star in a generation.” And the Washington Post’s Mike Joyce described one live performance as “a near-deafening, funk-charged blast of percussion, brass, reeds and guitar distortion that might have knocked the crowd sideways had there been any room to move.”
Trombone Shorty is the cover story on Jazziz magazine's Winter 2011/2012 issue. The eight-page feature comes on the heels of cover stories in Downbeat, Jazz News, Jazz N' More and Rhythm.
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue are in the midst of an extensive Worldwide Tour supporting their new album, For True.
Called the “Jimi Hendrix of the Trombone” in a recent profile by Rhythms’ magazine, trombone/trumpet phenomenon Troy “TROMBONE SHORTY” Andrews, along with his band Orleans Avenue, will be among the headliners of the 35th Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival, performing on Sunday, July 1.
The New Orleans born and bred musician has had a meteoric rise since the 2010 release of his Grammy®--nominated 2010 debut album, Backatown. Trombone Shorty and his band, Orleans Avenue, are known for their signature “Supafunkrock” sound -- a combination of New Orleans’ funk, rock, R&B and hip-hop. The latest album from the group, For True, released in September, features contributions from some of the biggest stars of the music world – Jeff Beck, Warren Haynes, Kid Rock and Lenny Kravitz, in whose touring band Andrews used to play.
“Trombone Shorty’s rock star presence and funk-meets-big brass sound has won him fans across the globe, enriched the jazz landscape and given the music world a bold, brilliant young talent,” said White. “With his band, he’ll wow the crowds at this year’s jazz festival and help us celebrate the future, as well as the history of this fabulous festival.”
The San Francisco Chronicle’s Joel Selvin hailed Trombone Shorty as “New Orleans’ brightest new star in a generation.” And the Washington Post’s Mike Joyce described one live performance as “a near-deafening, funk-charged blast of percussion, brass, reeds and guitar distortion that might have knocked the crowd sideways had there been any room to move.”
Trombone Shorty is the cover story on Jazziz magazine's Winter 2011/2012 issue. The eight-page feature comes on the heels of cover stories in Downbeat, Jazz News, Jazz N' More and Rhythm.
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue are in the midst of an extensive Worldwide Tour supporting their new album, For True.
YELLOWJACKETS
The Yellowjackets, one of the jazz world’s most influential bands, will be part of the 35th Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival. The group has earned two Grammy Awards and received a remarkable nineteen Grammy nominations, including two for its critically acclaimed recent album, Timeline, released in 2011.
“Artistic brilliance, an incredible chemistry and a love for innovation have put the Yellowjackets at the top of the international jazz world for a remarkable three decades. Today, on the heels of two more, just-announced Grammy nominations for their 2011 album, Timeline, they are proving they are hotter than ever,” said White. “Musically adventurous and artistically passionate, their performance will be the ‘can’t-miss’ act of this year’s festival.”
Known for their unique musical signatures, the Yellowjackets' sound is a blend of funk, fusion and straight-ahead jazz. Comprised of keyboardist Russell Ferrante, bassist Jimmy Haslip, saxophonist-composer Bob Mintzer and drummer William Kennedy, the band prides itself on being both accessible and innovative. Says founding member Jimmy Haslip, “we are very passionate about the music…it motivates us in many ways. And with that motivation, we are also creatively inspired to continue our progression.”
The Yellowjackets, one of the jazz world’s most influential bands, will be part of the 35th Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival. The group has earned two Grammy Awards and received a remarkable nineteen Grammy nominations, including two for its critically acclaimed recent album, Timeline, released in 2011.
“Artistic brilliance, an incredible chemistry and a love for innovation have put the Yellowjackets at the top of the international jazz world for a remarkable three decades. Today, on the heels of two more, just-announced Grammy nominations for their 2011 album, Timeline, they are proving they are hotter than ever,” said White. “Musically adventurous and artistically passionate, their performance will be the ‘can’t-miss’ act of this year’s festival.”
Known for their unique musical signatures, the Yellowjackets' sound is a blend of funk, fusion and straight-ahead jazz. Comprised of keyboardist Russell Ferrante, bassist Jimmy Haslip, saxophonist-composer Bob Mintzer and drummer William Kennedy, the band prides itself on being both accessible and innovative. Says founding member Jimmy Haslip, “we are very passionate about the music…it motivates us in many ways. And with that motivation, we are also creatively inspired to continue our progression.”
TRIO of OZ featuring Omar Hakim and Rachel Z
Legendary drummer Omar Hakim who has performed with major headliners including Weather Report, Sting, Miles Davis and David Bowie has teamed up with pianist extraordinaire Rachel Z whose work with such artists as Wayne Shorter, Steps Ahead, and Peter Gabriel has earned her international recognition and acclaim.
Praised by Mike Hobart of the Financial Times, “the new piano trio dovetails the detailed choreography of jazz into the structures of pop and rock. It featured the pyrotechnic flare of drummer Omar Hakim – introduced, not inconceivably, as ‘the best drummer in the world.’ Rachel Z not only complemented Hakim’s rhythmic tiger but also joined a still small group of musicians whose canny arrangements and trenchant swing rejig indie pop into unadulterated jazz."
Gifted pianist Rachel Z first came to the attention of the international jazz world with her acclaimed collaboration with saxophone great Wayne Shorter on his hit album High Life. A classically trained pianist and free experimenter with electronics and synthesised sound, her trio's sets include jazz-morphed versions of classics. Hakim rose to fame in the 80s as one of the world's greatest percussionist having done most of the drum work on Dire Strait's landmark album Brothers In Arms and Sting's critically-acclaimed first solo album, The Dream of the Blue Turtles.
Legendary drummer Omar Hakim who has performed with major headliners including Weather Report, Sting, Miles Davis and David Bowie has teamed up with pianist extraordinaire Rachel Z whose work with such artists as Wayne Shorter, Steps Ahead, and Peter Gabriel has earned her international recognition and acclaim.
Praised by Mike Hobart of the Financial Times, “the new piano trio dovetails the detailed choreography of jazz into the structures of pop and rock. It featured the pyrotechnic flare of drummer Omar Hakim – introduced, not inconceivably, as ‘the best drummer in the world.’ Rachel Z not only complemented Hakim’s rhythmic tiger but also joined a still small group of musicians whose canny arrangements and trenchant swing rejig indie pop into unadulterated jazz."
Gifted pianist Rachel Z first came to the attention of the international jazz world with her acclaimed collaboration with saxophone great Wayne Shorter on his hit album High Life. A classically trained pianist and free experimenter with electronics and synthesised sound, her trio's sets include jazz-morphed versions of classics. Hakim rose to fame in the 80s as one of the world's greatest percussionist having done most of the drum work on Dire Strait's landmark album Brothers In Arms and Sting's critically-acclaimed first solo album, The Dream of the Blue Turtles.
PEDRITO MARTINEZ GROUP
First formed in 2008, the group has a home base in Midtown Manhattan with high-profile fans such as, Steve Gadd, Ravi Coltrane, Taj Mahal, and Eric Clapton. “Since arriving in the United States at the end of the 1990s, the Cuban percussionist Pedro Martinez has been all over the place, putting rumba and guaguancó into the weave of all kinds of groups. But when his drums, singing and writing are the focus – as is the case in his new band– he’s an incomparable performer,” said Ben Ratliff of the New York Times.
“Last year at Saratoga Jazz Fest, Pedrito Martinez Group jolted the Gazebo crowd into movement with his soaring harmonies, exemplifying the meaning of the word ‘festival,’” said Marcia J. White, SPAC’s President and Executive Director. “Martinez is considered one of the best congueros in the world, with equally stunning vocals, and a chemistry with his international band-members that is truly mesmerizing. We look forward to the Group’s return performance at the Gazebo, contributing to a terrific line-up.”
Pedrito was nominated for The Latin Jazz Corner 2010 "Best of the Year Awards” and "Latin Jazz Percussionist of the Year." His album collaborations have lent themselves to six Grammy nominated records and one Grammy award, a record featuring Eddie Palmieri and Brian Lynch, called “Simpatico.”
Highlights of the 2012 tour include international appearances in Austria and Australia and the USA tour featuring performances in Brooklyn, NY, Miami Beach, Houston, New Orleans and The Newport Jazz Festival.
First formed in 2008, the group has a home base in Midtown Manhattan with high-profile fans such as, Steve Gadd, Ravi Coltrane, Taj Mahal, and Eric Clapton. “Since arriving in the United States at the end of the 1990s, the Cuban percussionist Pedro Martinez has been all over the place, putting rumba and guaguancó into the weave of all kinds of groups. But when his drums, singing and writing are the focus – as is the case in his new band– he’s an incomparable performer,” said Ben Ratliff of the New York Times.
“Last year at Saratoga Jazz Fest, Pedrito Martinez Group jolted the Gazebo crowd into movement with his soaring harmonies, exemplifying the meaning of the word ‘festival,’” said Marcia J. White, SPAC’s President and Executive Director. “Martinez is considered one of the best congueros in the world, with equally stunning vocals, and a chemistry with his international band-members that is truly mesmerizing. We look forward to the Group’s return performance at the Gazebo, contributing to a terrific line-up.”
Pedrito was nominated for The Latin Jazz Corner 2010 "Best of the Year Awards” and "Latin Jazz Percussionist of the Year." His album collaborations have lent themselves to six Grammy nominated records and one Grammy award, a record featuring Eddie Palmieri and Brian Lynch, called “Simpatico.”
Highlights of the 2012 tour include international appearances in Austria and Australia and the USA tour featuring performances in Brooklyn, NY, Miami Beach, Houston, New Orleans and The Newport Jazz Festival.
ARTURO O'FARRILL
Arturo O’Farrill, pianist, composer, educator, and winner of the Latin Jazz USA Outstanding Achievement Award for 2003, was born in Mexico and grew up in New York City. In 2002, Mr. O’Farrill created the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO) for Jazz at Lincoln Center due in part to a large and very demanding body of substantial music in the genre of Latin and Afro Cuban Jazz that deserves to be much more widely appreciated and experienced by the general jazz audience. His debut album with the Orchestra, Una Noche Inolvidable, earned a GRAMMY award nomination in 2006. In 2008, he and the Orchestra won a GRAMMY for Best Latin Jazz Album for Song for Chico.
Arturo O’Farrill, pianist, composer, educator, and winner of the Latin Jazz USA Outstanding Achievement Award for 2003, was born in Mexico and grew up in New York City. In 2002, Mr. O’Farrill created the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO) for Jazz at Lincoln Center due in part to a large and very demanding body of substantial music in the genre of Latin and Afro Cuban Jazz that deserves to be much more widely appreciated and experienced by the general jazz audience. His debut album with the Orchestra, Una Noche Inolvidable, earned a GRAMMY award nomination in 2006. In 2008, he and the Orchestra won a GRAMMY for Best Latin Jazz Album for Song for Chico.
