The Carl Allen – Rodney Whitaker Project
Saturday, October 13, 2007

Master Class for High School Students
3 – 4 P.M., FREE
Drums and Bass – The Heartbeat of the Band with Carl Allen and Rodney Whitaker
Jazz students of all instruments are invited to learn about the dynamics of swing and groove – the essence of jazz – from two contemporary masters in a free session.

Pre-Concert Performance, 7 P.M.
The Youngblood Jazz Quintet, featuring area high school musicians honored at the 2007 Jazz at Lincoln Center Essentially Ellington competition.

Concert, 8 P.M. (Tickets $12 for students 18 and under)

Drummer Carl Allen and bassist Rodney Whitaker are masters of tone and tempo, with combined credits of nearly 200 recordings and countless live performances with jazz musicians such as Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis, Jackie McLean, Cyrus Chestnut, Roy Hargrove, and Kenny Garrett. The dynamic duo have recently stepped into the spotlight, leading a band that combines the heart of New York and the soul of Motown into a “twenty-first century version of soul jazz,” (Detroit Free Press) as heard on their recent recording Get Ready (Mack Avenue).

The Tord Gustavsen Trio
Saturday, November 10, 2007

Pre-Concert Conversation, 7 P.M.
The Sound and the Story of ECM with Series Producer Bruce Eaton.

Concert, 8 P.M.

The Tord Gustavsen Trio’s three albums for ECM, including the recently released Being There, have been collectively heralded as “the most essential jazz document of the past ten years,” (The Independent). Norwegian pianist Tord Gustavsen creates “some of the most beautiful piano-trio music imaginable…the utmost emotional eloquence...,” (The Absolute Sound) and “transporting moods with heart-on-sleeve melodies and reverent hymn-like themes,” (Bill Shoemaker, Down Beat Magazine). Do not miss this rare opportunity to hear a group whose “stunningly elegant and beautifully meditative harmonies,” (The Boston Herald) have listeners invoking the breathtaking originality of Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett.

The Lionel Loueke Trio
Sunday, January 27, 2008

Pre-Concert Film, 2 P.M.
African Guitar: Solo Fingerstyle Guitar Music from Uganda, Congo/Zaire, Central African Republic, Malawi, Namibia, and Zambia.

Concert, 3 P.M.

Born in the small African country of Benin, Lionel Loueke picked up a guitar at the age of 17 and began a musical journey that led to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz in Los Angeles, where his audition before judges Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Terence Blanchard concluded with invitations to join their respective bands. Throughout world tours with Blanchard and Hancock, and recent duo performances with Shorter, audiences have been thrilled by what producer Robert Sandin described as Loueke’s ability to "reach into the source of musical joy and share it. His music seems to come from everywhere he has been, and from places where no one has ever walked before.”

James "Blood" Ulmer
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Solo performance

Pre-Concert Conversation, 7 P.M
The Geography of The Blues with Jim Santella.

Concert, 8 P.M

Long regarded as one of the most creative guitarists in jazz, James "Blood" Ulmer’s reputation has slowly morphed from avant-garde visionary – “the missing link between Jimi Hendrix and Wes Montgomery on one hand, between P-Funk and Mississippi Fred McDowell on the other,” (Greg Tate, The Village Voice) – to an elder statesman of the blues. From his early days with jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman to more recent explorations of his musical roots, Ulmer has earned rave reviews, numerous awards, and a 2001 Grammy Award nomination for “Best Traditional Blues Album,” cementing his standing as “the most authentic and important blues preacher since the Reverend Gary Davis,” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer).

The Vijay Iyer Quartet
Sunday, March 16, 2008

Pre-Concert Performance, 2 P.M.
Please note: The Jeremy Siskind Trio has been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall on March 16. We are pleased to present Bending and Breaking, a quintet comprised of former and current Eastman School of Music students led by drummer/composer and Orchard Park High School graduate Aaron Staebell.

Concert, 3 P.M

Voted both "Number One Rising Star Jazz Artist" and "Composer of the Year" in Down Beat Magazine's International Critics Poll, pianist Vijay Iyer draws from a spectrum of musical traditions – as well as an advanced degree in math and a Ph.D. in music and cognitive science – to create fresh, emotionally expressive music. The son of Indian immigrants, Iyer is continually exploring the link between jazz and Asian music, frequently collaborating with saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa. Startlingly original, “he's a jazz musician of the moment, and now's the time to hear him,” (The New York Times).

The Russell Malone Quartet
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Pre-Concert Conversation, 7 P.M
The Life and Legacy of Charlie Christian, The Father of Modern Jazz Guitar with Series Producer Bruce Eaton.
Concert, 8 P.M.

Sunday, April 27, 2008 ($12 tickets for students 18 and under)
Pre-Concert Conversation, 2 P.M
The Life and Legacy of Charlie Christian, The Father of Modern Jazz Guitar with Series Producer Bruce Eaton.
Concert, 3 P.M

“A Wes Montgomery for the new millennium,” (All Music Guide), guitarist Russell Malone first appeared on the jazz scene with master organist Jimmy Smith. After working with Harry Connick, Jr. from 1990 to 1994, Malone toured internationally with Diana Krall and received critical acclaim as Krall's right hand in concert and in the studio. An exuberant and commanding performer, Malone has shared the stage with artists of the caliber of Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Claude “Fiddler” Williams, Bucky Pizzarelli, Jack McDuff, Clarence Carter, and Freddie Cole, and was featured in Robert Altman’s film Kansas City (1996).