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David Weiss and the Point of Departure Quintet

Firehouse 12's 2007 Spring Jazz Series continues on Friday, May 11th with a two-set performance by David Weiss and The Point Of Departure Quintet. Led by trumpeter/composer/arranger David Weiss, and called “a post- bop ensemble stocked with prime talent” by The New York Times' Nate Chinen, the group re-examines and re-imagines music written by some of the late 1960's most innovative composers, including Kenny Cox and the Contemporary Jazz Quintet, Joe Henderson, Andrew Hill and Wayne Shorter.

”His writing may well be initially inspired by what Wayne Shorter was doing for Miles in the mid '60s, but it is totally contemporary in its expansion of that era's unfinished business,” wrote Jazzwise contributor Tony Hall in his review of Weiss' most recent CD, The Mirror (Fresh Sound New Talent). AllAboutJazz.com Senior Editor John Kelman added, “Not since Dave Douglas rose to prominence in the mid-'90s has a trumpet player come along with such a perfect combination of technical prowess, unerring instinct for captivating melody, harmony and counterpoint, and sheer emotional force.”

Weiss has been active in many of aspects of the jazz business for the past 20 years. A graduate of the storied jazz program at North Texas State University, he performed early on with legendary figures Jaki Byard, Frank Foster and Jimmy Heath, and is currently a member of groups such as the Charles Tolliver Big Band and Tolliver's all-star sextet, The Cookers. An award-winning composer and arranger, Weiss works consistently as a leader with his own bands such as his sextet, The New Jazz Composers Octet, and the 11-piece Endangered Species: The Music of Wayne Shorter. In addition, his arrangements and transcriptions have appeared on more than 80 CDs, including titles by Freddie Hubbard and Abbey Lincoln, and he has produced records by Robert Glasper, Jeremy Pelt, and Marcus Strickland among others.

Firehouse 12 is an award-winning bar, state of the art recording studio and unusually intimate music venue located in New Haven's historic Ninth Square District. Its distinctive 75-seat performance space, located inside the recording studio, offers world-class acoustics and unprecedented technical possibilities to both listeners and performers. Many of the most respected names in jazz and creative improvised music have performed at Firehouse 12 since it opened its doors in April 2005.

In 2007, Firehouse 12 founded its own label, Firehouse 12 Records, with the intention of releasing a mix of physical and digital-only recordings, including music recorded live during recent performances. Its first new releases, the Anthony Braxton 12+1tet's 9 Compositions (Iridium) 2006 and the Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet's The Middle Picture, were released April 3rd.



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