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| Jay Hoggard Quartet at Sistas' Place One of the world's leading vibraphonists, Jay Hoggard, brings his stellar quartet to Sistas' Place, 456 Nostrand Avenue in the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, on Friday and Saturday, March 16 and 17, at 9:00 pm and 10:30 pm. Band leaders in their own right, the Quartet features James Weidman, piano; Santi Debriano, Bass; and Yoron Israel, drums. Trumpeter, Composer Ahmed Abdullah will join the ensemble in each set . Ahmed was one of the first bandleaders to hire Jay when he returned to New York as a young professional in 1977. "We spent many great musical nights performing at the late, great drummer Rashid Ali's venue Ali's Alley." Sistas' Place, where "Jazz: A Music of the Spirit Lives and Culture is a Weapon, " is now in its 17th music season. Tickets are $20 with reservations and $25 at the door. For reservations and more information, call (718) 398-1766 or visit www.sistasplace.org. Jay Hoggard's music has touched the hearts and souls of listeners around the world for 30 years. The son of a Bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AME Zion) Church, he was born in Washington, DC and reared in Mt. Vernon, NY. At age 15, Jay began playing the vibraphone. "One night I had a dream that I was playing the vibes. I asked my father to rent me a set and from the first moment, I knew that this was what I was supposed to do." Jay majored in the World Music program at Wesleyan University and toured Europe and played at Carnegie Hall during his freshman year. In his junior year, he traveled to Tanzania to study East African xylophone music. After graduation in 1976, Jay returned to New York City where he was proclaimed "the most dazzling new vibraphonist in jazz" by Robert Palmer in the New York Times. Jay Hoggard draws on traditional and contemporary musical vocabulary to develop new directions for the vibraphone, seamlessly blending jazz and gospel roots with African marimba rhythms. His performance repertoire represents the three B's of the jazz tradition (Blues, Bop, Ballads) with original innovations. "Solo from Two Sides, " released August 1, 2009 – the latest of his over 20 CDs as a leader and collaborator – is a presentation of 13 compositions performed by the composer on both vibraphone and marimba, by way of digital overdubbing. He has toured the globe to rave reviews, performing throughout the United States, Africa, Europe, South America, the Caribbean and Asia. He led a quintet on an extensive tour sponsored by the US government to North Africa, the Middle East and India. Jay Hoggard is currently a professor of music at Wesleyan University, where for the past 22 years he has directed the Wesleyan Jazz Orchestra and has taught and mentored hundreds of young musicians including vibraphonists Matt Moran, Gerry Grosz, Chris Dingman, and Sam Friedman, as well as Mary Halverson, Steve Lehman, Taylor Ho Bynum, Tyshawn Sorey, Matthew Steckler, and Santigold. In addition to the sets at Sistas' Place, Jay Hoggard will present the World Premiere of Sonic Hieroglyphs from Wood, Metal and Skin at the 11th Annual Wesleyan Jazz Orchestra Weekend at Crowell Concert Hall at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, April 27 - 28 at 8:00 pm. To perform his compositions, Hoggard will again feature Weidman, Debriano and Israel along with percussionist Kwaku Kwaakye Martin Obeng, woodwindist Marty Erlich and harpist Brandee Younger. The multi-part suite is dedicated to the inspiration of Wangari Mathai, the late Nobel Peace Prize recipient from Kenya. Carolyn McClair Public Relations write your comments about the article :: © 2012 Jazz News :: home page |