Hey avid Pulse blog readers. I apologize for not keeping you up-to-date, but I've been curating a creative large ensemble series at the Tea Lounge in Park Slope Brooklyn on Monday nights. This month will include a couple of Pulseketeer-led groups (including my own). Come on down and support this unique phenomenon! Sets are at 9 & 10:30pm, and just a $5 suggested donation.
Four exciting
groups will present their original music to kick off the Fall season of the
Size Matters Large Ensemble Series at The Tea Lounge each Monday night in
September.
September
6
The Jeff
Fairbanks Jazz Orchestra plays Jeff's original mix of modern Jazz and
traditional Asian folk music. The band just recorded their debut album,
with its release anticipated late this year. Jeff was recently awarded
the Queens Arts Council's 2010 Individual Artist Initiative. Other awards
include the 2008 BMI Foundation Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize and the 2006
ASCAP Young Jazz Composer award.
September
13
Composer and
bandleader Javier Arau
is a former member of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, where he studied under
Vanguard Orchestra musical director Jim McNeely, and he was a protege of
acclaimed arranger and composer Bob Brookmeyer. Currently the program director
of New York Jazz Academy, Arau's compositions are published by UNC Jazz Press
and Dorn Publications, and he has received awards and honors from Down Beat
Magazine, ASCAP, BMI, and MTNA. Also an accomplished saxophonist, he was the
cover artist of the July 2009 issue of Saxophone Journal and is an artist
endorser for Virtuoso saxophones. The Javier Arau Jazz Orchestra, based in NYC, is a dynamic 18-piece big
band that features Javier's own compositions and arrangements
September 20
Trombonist/composer/conductor JC Sanford is a musician of rare breadth, deeply
rooted in the traditions of Jazz and Classical music, yet constantly pushing at
their boundaries. As a trombonist, JC has performed with many of the jazz
world's leading figures, such as Matt Wilson,
Danilo Perez, and John McNeil. His works have been
performed by John Abercrombie, Lew Soloff, Dave Liebman, and modern classical
pianist Andrew Russo, to name a few. His collaboration with fellow composer
David Schumacher and their jazz orchestra Sound Assembly yielded the CD Edge
of the Mind, which
received many accolades including CD Baby’s Top 10 Jazz Records of 2009. JC
also conducts the twice-Grammy-nominated John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble, the
Alan Ferber Nonet with Strings, and the Alice Coltrane Orchestra featuring Ravi
Coltrane and Jack DeJohnette. His large ensemble compositions push the limits
of what is "expected" in a specific musical setting without totally
abandoning the tradition of the genre, sounding adventurous while remaining
“accessible.”
September 27
Jamie Begian Big
Band will bring its unique blend of Jazz, Funk, Serialism and whatever else
Jamie can synthesize to the friendly confines of Tea Lounge to support the
recent Innova Records release of its second CD titled “Big Fat Grin.” All About
Jazz.com’s Bruce Lindsay says “Big Fat Grin shows just how a talented
big band can create affecting music,” while Jazz Inside’s Susan Frances says
“As a composer and guitarist, Jamie Begian correlates instruments parts with
physical movements so every track feels like it was made for the stage.
Begian’s Big Band combines surprising
kicks with sleekly modeled harmonies, which results in an album that partners
straight-laced harmonic forms with avant-angled reclines.”
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