|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| Farragut Square Concert with the Matt Savage Trio and Tokounou June 8 The Matt Savage Trio and Tokounou will perform at Farragut Square at Connecticut Ave. and K St., NW in the first concert of the summertime lunch hour series. The performances are part of VSA arts Start with the Arts Family Festival, a month-long celebration of the arts featuring artists with disabilities. The Matt Savage Trio is a jazz ensemble headed by 14-year-old jazz pianist Matt Savage and featuring adult sidemen John Funkhouser on bass and Steve Silverstein on drums. The group has been featured on NBC's "TODAY Show, " ABC's "20/20" and "The View, " Montel Williams, the Discovery Channel, and Lifetime Television's "Beyond Chance." Heralded by Dave Brubeck as "amazing" and "another Mozart, " and by Chick Corea as "delightful and inspiring, " Savage was a big hit at the famed Blue Note and at Birdland in New York and at the New Orleans Jazz Festival. Savage, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three, recorded his first album at the age of seven. He has been featured in People magazine, Jazziz magazine, and Time Magazine among others. Savage is the only child to have been signed by Bösendorfer Pianos as a Bösendorfer artist. The Trio will release their fifth CD this September. Tokounou, an African music and dance ensemble, was founded in 1988 by Sidiki Conde. The desire to sing and dance first came to Conde in a dream, at age 14, after he lost the use of his legs. Prior to coming to America and starting Tokounou, Conde toured West Africa with other artists with disabilities, giving performances and working to change perceptions of disabilities. Conde now works extensively with children and adults of all abilities, giving performances while teaching African dance and music in schools, hospitals, and universities. Tokounou performed at the 2004 International VSA arts Festival. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |