LATIN JAZZ COMES TO BARD COLLEGE ON FEBRUARY 9 AND 10 Weekend offers lecture/demonstrations by Danilo Pérez and Ray Mantilla, a film screening, and a performance by the Danilo Pérez Trio
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.-The sounds of Latin jazz will be heard in the Hudson Valley on the weekend of February 9 and 10, when the Jazz at Bard series presents lecture/demonstrations, a film screening, and a performance by the internationally recognized Danilo Pérez Trio.
On Saturday, February 9, at 1:30 p.m., Pérez, a Grammy Award-nominated artist, will give a free lecture/demonstration on his "Music of Americas Project" at Bard Hall. He will speak about composing music and synthesizing a variety of influences into a new form-from the roots of Panamanian music to American, European, African, and Native American music. A question-and-answer session will follow the presentations, and attendees should feel free to bring their instruments. Born in Panama in 1966, Pérez, a jazz pianist, composer, and band leader, has been named the cultural ambassador of his native land. His recording Motherland (2000) is a heartfelt homage to the music of the Americas that was nominated for a Grammy in 2000 and was named one of the best albums of the year by the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, San Diego Tribune, Billboard, and the JazzTimes Critic's Poll.
At 3:30 p.m. on Saturday in the multipurpose room of the Bertelsmann Campus Center, Latin percussionist Ray Mantilla will demonstrate Latin hand drumming and percussion, and will be joined by the Bard Percussion Ensemble for this free lecture/demonstration. Mantilla, known as a "complete percussionist," has performed on more than 200 recordings and appeared with artists including Herbie Mann, Max Roach, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Josephine Baker, Eartha Kitt, Charles Mingus, Ray Barretto, Gato Barbieri, Sonny Stitt, Bobby Watson, and Tito Puente. In 1977, he became the first North American Latin musician to step on Cuban soil since the Cuban Revolution. He was an essential member of the historic goodwill ensemble led by Dizzy Gillespie. Thurman Barker, noted jazz drummer and Bard professor, leads the Bard Percussion Ensemble.
On Saturday evening at 8:00 p.m. in Olin Hall, the Danilo Pérez Trio will take the stage for a concert. Admission is $20, free for Bard students with identification. The trio consists of pianist Pérez, drummer Adam Cruz, and bassist Ben Street.
On Sunday, February 10, at 1 p.m. at Upstate Films in Rhinebeck, Jazz at Bard presents a screening of the film by Woodstock's John Holland, A Night in Havana. Admission is $5, $4 for seniors, and $3 for Upstate Film members. The film follows Dizzy Gillespie on a mid-1980s trip to Cuba where he tells tall tales, meets with Fidel Castro and Chano Pozo's sister, and plays, often gently, with some of Cuba's top musicians, including Arturo Sandoval and Gonzalo Rubalcaba.
The Jazz at Bard series will be an ongoing effort to bring internationally recognized jazz performers to the Hudson Valley region. The Music and Multicultural Affairs programs at Bard along with the Bard-St. Stephen's Alumni/ae Office are cosponsoring the Latin Jazz Weekend.
To purchase tickets for the concert or for further information about the weekend programs or the Jazz at Bard series, call Raissa St. Pierre at 845-758-7410 or e-mail [email protected].
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(1.25.02)